Aquino signs amendments to strengthen PESO among LGUs

PRESIDENT Benigno S. C. Aquino III yesterday signed into law the amendments to the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) Act which aims to boost the capability of Local Government Units (LGUs) in addressing unemployment.

Republic Act (RA) No. 10691, signed during the 15th PESO Congress in Pasay City on Monday, amends RA 8759 and mandates the PESO’s establishment in all provinces, cities and municipalities. These PESO units shall be operated and maintained by LGUs.

The LGUs are assigned to establish a monitoring system wherein establishments operating in the locality shall report relevant labor market information to the concerned office of the LGU such as the present number and nature of available jobs and the projection of jobs as provided or offered by these establishments in the next five years.

These information will then be submitted to the PESO for job matching and to educational institutions as career guidance for students.

The new law requires the PESO to prepare and submit to the local boards or sanggunian an annual employment plan and budget including other regular funding sources and budgetary support for the PESO.

For its part, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) is responsible for the establishment and maintenance of a computerized human resource and job registries to facilitate the provision and packaging of employment assistance to PESO clients, and the setting up of intra- and inter-regional job clearance systems as part of the overall employment network.

The funding for operation and maintenance of the PESO shall be provided by the LGU from its internal revenue allotment and other internally generated income.

Under RA 8759, the amount necessary for the full implementation of the measure was included in the Labor department’s budget.

In his speech at the event, Mr. Aquino said he expects the amendments to strengthen the 1,925 PESOs in the country.

Mr. Aquino cited data by the DoLE showing that out of 8.09 million job applicants who themselves of PESO’s assistance, 5.66 million were able to find work from July 2010 to June 2015. -- K. M. P. Tubadeza

source:  Businessworld