Gov’t execs sign MOA to institutionalize employment service offices

ANY VACANCY? A woman checks job opportunities posted by different companies during a job fair held by the Manila city government’s Public Employment Service Office at a covered court in Tondo district in this file photo taken in 2022. —RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines — Government officials on Tuesday forged an agreement to institutionalize the Public Employment Service Office (PESO).

During a ceremony at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Main Office in Manila on Tuesday, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr., and PESO Managers Association of the Philippines National President Luningning Vergara signed a memorandum of agreement for the institutionalization of PESO.

Under the agreement, DILG, DOLE, and PESOMAP will work together to establish a PESO office in each local government unit in the country.

“Sana maging permanente ‘yung opisina nila, maging permanente ‘yung mga tao na hindi tuwing nagkakaroon ng palitan ng administrasyon ay nag-iiba po ‘yung mga tao na nagmamanage ng PESO,” Laguesma said in an ambush interview with reporters.

(I hope their office becomes permanent, and the people managing the PESO won’t change every time there’s a change in administration.)

Among the services that PESO offers are job facilitation, training, and the profiling of individuals who are qualified to receive support from the program.

“Tatlong taon lang ang termino ng isang alkalde… kung magpapalit ka nang magpapalit [ng PESO officers] mahirap po ‘yun dahil mayroon siyang institutional knowledge,” said Abalos.

(The term of a mayor is only three years… if you keep changing them [PESO officers], it’s difficult because they have institutional knowledge.)

Meanwhile, Vergara hoped that the signed agreement would push PESO to take more initiatives that would raise the country’s employment rate.

READ: To qualify for good governance seal, LGU should have PESO — DOLE 

“Mas magkakaroon ng ngipin, mas magkakadrive ang mga PESO to do more things para mas maganda ‘yung ating employability program,” she said.

(The PESO will have more teeth, which will drive them to do more things to improve our employability program.)