dole good news

8/14/2019 Dole Good News

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/dole-good-news 1/8

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda

Dimapilis-Baldoz issued her first marching

order for 2012 to all DOLE regional directors

and heads of DOLE attached agencies, bureaus,

and services by asking them to implement systems

improvement that would lead their respective

offices to attain ISO certification during the year.“This means improving and making efficient all services

delivery mechanisms, reducing process cycle times, minimizingwide areas of discretion, and eliminating all forms of red tape

and graft and corruption that would make it easier and faster for

our clients to transact official business with the Department,”

said Baldoz.

Baldoz said that she expects all officials and employees of

the DOLE and its attached agencies, bureaus, and services,

including regional and field offices, to exercise greater

accountability and transparency in all their dealings with the

people, in consonance with the 22-point labor and employment

agenda of President Benigno S. Aquino III, his Social Contract

with the Filipino people, and the Labor and Employment Plan

2011-2016.

“We have set the DOLE reforms in place. What we need to do is

to focus on these reforms and make good with our deliverables,”

Baldoz said as she instructed monthly reports from the headsof each DOLE offices outlining their accomplishments vis a vis

their set targets for the year.

Baldoz also instructed all heads of DOLE attached agencies

bureaus, and services to communicate more openly with al

DOLE clients through the media.

“We have already utilized the Internet to communicate some

of our transactions and processes to our publics,” she said

citing the online posting of the networth of DOLE officials, all

DOLE cases, and names of beneficiaries of DOLE livelihood

programs.

“I expect you to inform our people how many more of these

transactions and processes will be online this year,” she added

Baldoz said she will hold accountable all DOLE officialsfor their respective program targets, and corresponding

performance and will not hesitate to institute measures to

ensure compliance.

“We owe this to our people who, in the very words o

President Aquino, are our “boss”, she finally said.

Baldoz to heads of DOLE agencies:

“Make it easier, faster for DOLE

clients to transact business”



DOLE Good News

2 January 2012

Readers’ queries, comments, and suggestions are welcome.

Mail or fax them in, or call us at telephone numbers 527-

3000 loc. 620, 621, 622, 623, 625, 626, 627. Our fax number is

527-3446. You may also visit our website: www.dole.gov.ph;

or e-mail us at [email protected].

The DOLE Good News is published by the Department

of Labor and Employment with editorial office at the

Labor Communications Office, 6th Floor, DOLE Building,Intramuros, Manila. The views expressed herein are

those of the writers and/or their sources and do not

necessarily reflect those of the DOLE’s or the Philippine

Government’s.

Editor

NICON F. FAMERONAGDirector, LCO

Associate EditorsFLORO L. FERNANDOKAREN R. SERRANO

Staff WritersJOSE C. DE LEON

MARK JAIME L. CERDENIAMA. VERONICA R. ALMAZORA

CELESTE T. MARING

HAZEL JOY T. GALAMAY

Editorial AssistantsGIRLIE MARLYN E. ARCE

MADELYN D. DOMETITA

Graphic Artist

GREGORIO I. GALMAN

PhotographerJOMAR S. LAGMAY

Circulation ManagerGIRLIE MARLYN E. ARCE

Contributing Writers

GENEVIEVE S. TATAD

GEORGE LUBIN, JR.

ARLY STA. ANA-VALDEZ

REGINALD B. ESTIOCO

JEREMIAH M. BORJA

DULCE AMOR L. LEDESMA

ANDREA JOY AGUTAYA

RAYMOND P. ESCALANTE

AMALIA N. JUDICPA

ROY BUENAFE

VIRGILIO A. DOROJA, JR.

JAZMIN O. CINCO

MILDRED DABLIO

JOCELYN C. FLORDELIZ

CHARMAINE DAWN L. SONSONA

ANNIE TANGPOS

P

ursuing more systems improve-

ment and using online technology

towards better and more efficientpublic services delivery are just some of

the thrusts of the Department of Labor

and Employment (DOLE) this year.

Labor and Employment Secretary Ro-

salinda Dimapilis-Baldoz vowed that the

DOLE will introduce more innovative

online systems and databases to make its

transactions and processes more conve-

nient, accessible, and transparent.

“One of our thrusts this year is to

develop new information systems to

complement our existing array of online

mechanisms to ensure fast, extensive, andintegrated delivery and monitoring of all

services being done by all DOLE attached agencies, bureaus,

and services, including regional and field offices,” she said.

The Professional Regulation Commission, which in 2011 has

put online a number of its transactions, will continue to boost

professional regulation services. This year, it will already make

available its Professional Identification Card Availability Verifi-

cation, Online Verification of Eligibility, Online Verification of

Academic Records, Online Board Examination Application,

and Online Renewal Application Systems. These systems are

already in various stages of implementation.

In addition, Secretary Baldoz said that the Philippine Over-

seas Employment Administration, under the leadership of

newly-appointed Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac, is set to

develop a Digitation of Central Records System.

Baldoz vows more transparency and accessibility

as DOLE uploads more online programs and servicesOn the other hand, the Nationa

Wages and Productivity Commission

shall establish a Legal Support System torespond to the needs of researchers and

policy-makers on wages and productivity

issuances. It shall have a referencing and

browsing capabilities to enable users

to update databases embedded in the

system at the functional level, such as

inquiry, file maintenance, etc. It shal

also develop a new Library Information

System and a Project Monitoring and

Evaluation System.

At the DOLE proper, Baldoz said six

new information system/sub-system wil

go online this year, namely, (1) ForeignLabor Operations System; (2) Enhanced

Labor Standards Enforcement Monitoring System; (3) Registry

of Establishments Information System; (4) Case Docket and

Monitoring System (Phase II); (5) Human Resource Informa-

tion System; and (6) Virtual Integrated System (Phase I).

The Foreign Labor Operations Information System, an in

ternal support system, will monitor all the activities and op-

erations of labor attaches, including work and financial plans

and actual accomplishments on a quarterly, semi-annual, and

annual basis.

The Enhanced Labor Standards Enforcement Monitoring

System will facilitate monitoring compliance of establishments

with general labor standards occupational safety and health

standards.Turn to page 8



DOLE Good News

3January 2012

If you believe in

Good News, tell us.And receive a gift in return. The Labor

Communications Office is open to receiving

letters from readers expressing their views and

comments, and/or suggestions on articles that

appear on the DOLE Good News. Letters shouldbe no more than a hundred words, and will be

judged based on clarity and impact. The best

letter will also be published in succeeding issues

of the DOLE Good News. Send your letters to:

Department of Labor and Employment

Labor Communications Office

6th Flr. DOLE Bldg. Muralla St.

Intramuros, Manila

or e-mail us at

[email protected]

[email protected]

To carry out the strategies embod-

ied in the Labor and Employment

Plan 2011-2016, particulalry on

strengthening measures to prevent and

eliminate the worst forms of child labor,

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosa-

linda Dimapilis-Baldoz bared that one

of the priorities of the DOLE this year

is to reinforce strategic partnerships andintensify advocacy and action at the na-

tional, regional, community, and firm or

establishment levels.

Speaking at the 1st DOLE media brief-

ing in Intramuros, Manila, Baldoz said

that the Department will also improve

access of child laborers and their fami-

lies to quality integrated services, such as

the provision of livelihood, entrepreneur-

ship, health, education, and training.

“Our vigilance and focus on what we

have started will continue to totally curb

not only the incidence of child labor, butalso illegal recruitment and trafficking of

persons in the country in 2012,” she said.

“This year, the DOLE will increase the

provision of protection services to chil-

dren from all forms of abuse, neglect,

cruelty, exploitation and discrimination,”

she added, saying that the DOLE has al-

lotted P121 million for the anti-child la-

bor, anti-illegal recruitment, and anti-hu-

man trafficking programs, a 36 percent

increase from last year’s budget of P108

million.

Baldoz said that the Department,

through its regional offices, will also con-

tinue to forge agreements and the like on

anti-illegal recruitment, anti-child-labor,

and anti-human trafficking with local gov-

ernment units, non-government organiza-

tions, and other government agencies.Through an existing program, the Sa-

gip Batang Manggagawa (SBM), the

DOLE has also pledged to act upon 100

percent on complaints and reports of

cases of child labor in extremely abject

conditions.

The SBM is an inter-agency mecha-

nism under the Child Labor Prevention

and Elimination Program that responds

to cases of child labor in extremely ab-

ject conditions. It employs a quick ac-

tion team for detecting, monitoring, and

rescuing child laborers in hazardous andexploitative working conditions at the

community level.

It also provides other appropriate inter-

ventions for the relief of child laborers,

such as the physical and psychological

services to child labor victims; filing of

administrative and criminal cases; and

facilitation of the return of the child la-

borers to their parents, guardians or cus-

todians.

Baldoz added that this year’s intensified

policy reforms and program expansion to

combat child labor seeks to upscale the

implementation of the Philippine Pro

gram Against Child Labor (PPACL) to

wards a child labor-free Philippines.

DOLE leads in the implementation of

the government’s anti-child labor pro

gram, particularly on the improvemenof the conditions of children at work

banning of child employment in haz

ardous occupation, and enforcement o

laws, standards and policies.

DOLE to intensify Labor and Employment

Plan strategies on anti-child labor



DOLE Good News

4 January 2012

AMMAN--Labor and Employment

Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-

Baldoz and Jordan Labor Minister

Maher Al Waked signed the “Principles and

Controls for Regulating Deployment and

Employment of Filipino Domestic Workers”,

shortly known as “Principles and Controls”, a

document that constitutes a specific protocol

or guideline for the implementation of Article

1 of the Memorandum of Understanding

on Labor Cooperation forged between the

Philippines’s Department of Labor and

Employment and Jordan’s Ministry of Labor

on 27 May 2010.

The signing, which took place at the office

of the Jordanian Ministry of Labor in this city,

was witnessed by Jordanian labor officials led

by Undersecretary Nadera Al Bakheet; Ibra-

him Al Saudi, Director for Legal Affairs; Laila

Shobaki, Director for International Coopera-

tion; Afi Aljbhour, Director of Domestic La-

bor Directorate; Mazen Karaymeh, Director

of Migrant Workers Labour Directorate; and

Asma Abu Azzam and Ibrahim Al Al Zogbi,

Assistant Undersecretaries.

Baldoz says both countries agreed to adopt standard

employment contract

Jordan-Philippines signs protocol

to regulate HSWs’ employmentIt was also witnessed by Undersecretary

for Employment Danilo P. Cruz; Admin-

istrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac of the Philip-

pine Overseas Employment Administration;

Administrator Carmelita Dimzon of the

Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration;

Director Maya Valderrama of the Interna-

tional Labor Affairs Bureau; Maria Rosamy

Reyes, Officer-in-Charge of the Philippine

Embassy-Amman; and Philippine Overseas

Labor Office Amman Officer-in-Charge Ma-

rio Antonio.

This “Principles and Controls” is a posi-

tive, forward step that will guarantee more

protection and welfare for our household

service workers in Jordan as both countries

agreed to immediately adopt a Standard Em-

ployment Contract for OFWs,” Baldoz said

during a joint press conference with Minister

Maher Al Waked after the signing.

“It spells out the measures that the Phil-

ippines and Jordan will take to ensure that

household service workers to be employed

in Jordan in the future will undergo the legal

and correct processes of both countries,” said

Baldoz, mindful that there still exists a ban in

the deployment of HSWs to the Kingdom.

Baldoz said that with the signing of the

protocol, the Philippines and Jordan, which

in June 2011 both endorsed for the adoption

by the International Labor Organization of

the Convention on Domestic Workers, o

ILO C 189, demonstrate their recognition othe necessity to adhere to international stan

dards of decent work, particularly in promot

ing and ensuring the protection and welfare

of household service workers.

“The protocol ensures the welfare and ben

efits provided for under our Reform Package

for HSWs, particularly the payment of cor

rect wages. Under the protocol, only those

employers who have the capacity to pay the

minimum salary of US$400 will be allowed

to hire Filipino HSWs,” she emphatically

said, adding:

There are currently about 25,000 OFWs in

Jordan, comprising 4.2 percent of total migrant workers in the Kingdom. They work as

professional workers, such as engineers, nurs

es, IT workers; skilled workers, such as weld

ers, operators, and designers; semi-skilled

workers, such as drivers, electricians, mechan

ics, hotel workers; and workers in service es

tablishments, such as cleaners, waiters, etc.

However, a large portion of OFWs in the

Hashemite Kingdom are HSWs, many o

whom are illegal and undocumented, and

thus vulnerable to abuses. This prompted the

Philippines to impose a ban on their deploy

ment in 2001.

In 2010, Jordan and the Philippines signeda MOU on Labor Cooperation which paved

the way for the signing of the “Principles and

Controls” protocol.

The “Principles and Controls” contain the

following salient features:

• Processes on recruitment and arrival o

domestic workers shall be done through li

censed agencies, in accordance with lega

procedures in both countries;

• Issuance of a work and residence permi

to a domestic worker;

• Observance of the minimum age limit o

23 years;

• Verification and authentication of work

contracts by the POLO and Philippine Em

bassy in Amman;

• Securing life insurance policies for the do

mestic worker by the employer, in addition to

the compulsory insurance provided under RA

10022 charged to licensed agencies at no cos

to the worker and renewable after the contrac

upon mutual agreement between worker and

employer;

• Responsibility of both governments to pro

vide adequate information on rights and obli

gations of domestic workers and employers;

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz (3rd from left ) signs the Principles and Controls

Regulating the Deployment and Employment of Filipino Domestic Workers to Jordan, otherwise known as

the Protocol to the Memorandum of Understanding on Labor Cooperation, as her counterpart, Minister

Maher Al Waked, (4th, left ) looks on. The signing of the Protocol, held in Amman, was also witnessed by

DOLE Undersecretary Danilo P. Cruz (1st, left ), POEA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac, OWWA Administrator

Carmelita Dimzon, and other Jordanian Labor officials.



DOLE Good News

5January 2012

A

MMAN--Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz

ordered all Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) officials to focus on and

prioritize the build-up of cases against suspected illegal recruiters and human

traffickers who lure poor and vulnerable Filipino workers, particularly women, with

rosy promises of overseas jobs that only entrap them into inhuman and despicable

condition.

“I want immediate results on cases that are clearly solvable if only you can build them

up with detail that can stand before the courts,” she said, after hearing for herself the

testimonies of illegally recruited HSWs at the Filipino Workers Resource Center at the

POLO in this capital.

Baldoz, who is on a two-country swing in the Middle East to sign labor cooperation

agreements--she signed a protocol with Jordan Labor Minister Maher Al Waked and

will sign a memorandum of understanding on labor cooperation with his Lebanese

counterpart, Dr. Charbel Nahhas--had visited the POLO’s FWRC in Amman and de-

livered an impromptu message to some 50 HSWs who had ran away from their employ-

ers due to various reasons, such as low or unpaid salaries, physical abuse, overwork, andother violations.

“I have signed the Principles and Controls for Regulating Deployment and Employ-

ment of Filipino Domestic Workers with Jordan Labor Minister Maher Al Waked of

Jordan which will ensure your welfare and protection,” she informed the HSWs in Fili-

pino, “but you also have to cooperate with the government so we can prosecute those

conscience-less people who have only brought you despair and misery.”

“Tell us the details of the names, the places, and the modus operandi of those who

illegally recruited you and we will use this information for our police and operatives to

do surveillance and entrapment operations and to charge them with illegal recruitment

or human trafficking in our courts,” she said.

She also ordered POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac to beef up the POEA’s anti-

illegal recruitment team and to work double time with the DOLE Regional Coordinat-

ing Committee chaired by the DOLE regional directors to ensure that legal require-ments and processes are complied with in the filing of cases against the perpetrators of

illegal recruitment and human trafficking.

“ Napakababa ang conviction rate natin sa Pilipinas pagdating sa illegal recruitment at hu-

man trafficking dahil hindi natin natututukan ang pag -build up ng kaso,” she said.

“ Ang pakiusap ko lang, kapag naisampa na natin ang kaso laban sa mga nambiktima sa inyo,

huwag kayong umatras ,” she told the distressed OFWs.

Informed by POLO officer-in-charge Welfare Officer Mario Antonio that 30 of the

OFWs in the FWRC will be repatriated to the Philippines in the next two weeks, Baldoz

instructed the POLO officer to coordinate closely with the Philippine Embassy in Am-

man, as well as with local authorities in the Jordan labor ministry and immigration, to

ensure faster repatriation.

“Take advantage of the goodwill we have built by our visit and the signing of the

Protocol and work with Jordanian authorities to attend to all OFW welfare cases withdispatch,” she instructed Antonio.

On the other hand, she also instructed OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon,

who is with the Philippine delegation, to provide those who will be repatriated with

comprehensive reintegration assistance, such as those offered free under the Balik Pinay,

Balik Hanapbuhay program.

Meanwhile, Undersecretary Danilo Cruz, who accompanied the secretary, warned

labor attaches not to verify employment contracts and job orders of employers and

foreign placement agencies with derogatory records and those being complained of by

run-away OFWs.

Baldoz orders all POLOs to strengthen case build-up

against illegal recruiters, human traffickers

• Right of the Philippines to obtain a copy

of domestic workers’ records in Jordan;

• Affirmation of the right of a domestic

worker to change an employer, consistent

with Jordanian laws;

• Opening of a bank account in the name

of the domestic worker, with an obligation to

timely deposit the domestic worker’s monthlysalary;

• Provision by the employer of decent ac-

commodation, food, clothing, and medical

care for the domestic worker;

• Provision by the employer of one rest day

per week for the domestic worker;

• Provision by the employer of working

hours not to exceed ten hours a day;

• Both governments’ obligation to provide

information on relevant fees and costs col-

lected by recruitment agencies;

• Observance of anti-illegal recruitment

rules and procedures in both countries;

• The Philippines to provide a system oftraining, qualification, and skills certification

of domestic workers at no cost to the worker,

charged to the Philippine licensed agencies;

• Medical examination of domestic work-

ers prior to deployment; the medical exami-

nation will not cost the worker any for this

will be charged to the Philippine licensed

agencies;

• Obligation of Philippine licensed recruit-

ment agency to replace domestic worker who

refuses to work for no justifiable reason; both

the replaced and the replacement workers

shall likewise not bear the cost for this will be

charged to the Philippine licensed agencies;

• Action on the part of Ministry of Labor

of Jordan to resolve any outstanding prob-

lems between runaway domestic workers,

their employers, and Jordanian agencies;

• Access to justice before Jordanian courts;

• Creation of a Joint Action Committee to

discuss problems arising from the execution

of the “Principles and Controls”; and

• Three-year validity of the “Principles and

Controls”, subject to automatic renewal for a

similar period

Baldoz emphasized that the matter on de-

veloping a Standard Employment Contract

for Household Service Workers to eliminate

abuses and contract substitution is a matter of

priority for the two governments to immedi-

ately discuss and conclude as part of the joint

efforts to lift the ban.

“I am confident that with this “Principles

and Controls” and the adoption of the Stan-

dard Employment Contract, the deployment

and employment of Filipino household

workers to Jordan will take the road leading

towards more protection and less problems

inherent in a vulnerable sector like domestic

work,” she finally said.



DOLE Good News

6 January 2012

Labor and Employment Secretary

Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said

one of the DOLE’s thrusts for

2012 is to further strengthen the Special

Program for the Employment of Students

(SPES), noting that the program last year

effectively served national efforts towardspoverty reduction and the preparation of

the country’s underprivileged youth for

productive employment.

Baldoz bared that the 2012 SPES bud-

get of P340,282,000 will benefit 140,000

poor but deserving students all over the

country.

The amount is higher by P39,034,000,

or 13 percent, than the P301,248,000

SPES budget in 2011 which benefited

119,045 ‘SPES babies’, as beneficiaries

are called.

Baldoz pointed out that the 119,045students placed in short-term jobs during

the summer and Christmas breaks in

2011 constitute the highest number of

poor students benefited in the history

of the SPES, higher by more than one-

third over the 77,727 SPES beneficiaries

in 2010.

“The increase in the SPES budget is a

promise of the President fulfilled,” said

Baldoz, who recalled that President Be-

P340.282-M SPES budget

will provide short-term work

to 140,000 students in 20122016 which envision “inclusive growth

that massively creates local jobs, sustain

real economy enterprises, produces

decent work outcomes, and empowers

our people to rise above poverty.”

She commended the country’s net

work of Public Employment Service

Offices and employers from both the

private and government sectors in part

nering with the DOLE in implementing

the SPES.

The SPES was established in 1992under Republic Act No. 7323, later

amended by RA 9547. The program en

courages the employment of poor bu

deserving students during the summer

and/or Christmas vacations, through in

centives granted to employers, allowing

them to pay 60 percent of their salaries

or wages. The other 40 percent is paid

through education vouchers issued by

the DOLE.

nigno S. Aquino III in 2011 added P168.1

million to the SPES budget and promised

to increase it yearly, as the law creating

the SPES mandates.

Secretary Baldoz, who also sits as the

chairman of the Technical Education and

Skills Development Authority (TESDA)

said that the SPES, together with the

TESDA’s Kasanayan sa Hanapbuhay

(KaSH) project, comprises the DOLE’s

employment bridging assistance for the

Filipino youth.TESDA’s KaSH allocation for 2012 is

P1.344 billion (P1,344,371,000), or 47.1

percent of the agency’s P2.854 billion

(P2,854,106,000) budget for 2012.

The SPES and KaSH are consistent

with the goals enunciated by President

Aquino III in his Social Contract with the

Filipino people, as embodied in the Labor

and Employment Plan 2011-2016 and

the Philippine Development Plan 2011-

Through the Special Program for the

Employment of Students (SPES), the DOLE

brings employment and education closer to the

Dabawenyo student-beneficiaries in Region 11



DOLE Good News

January 2012

Labor and Employment Secretary

Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said

one of the DOLE’s thrusts for

2012 is to strengthen further the country’s

network of Public Employment Service

Offices (PESOs) as a frontline institution

in job facilitation and delivery of accurate,

relevant, and useful labor market informa-tion for the network to place 1.2 million

jobseekers in 2012, noting that the PESOs

were instrumental in placing 1,108,908

jobseekers in all types of jobs--most of

them in wage employment- -in the coun-

try from January to December 2011.

“We credit the effective work of our

1,069 PESOs in all 16 regions of the coun-

try in elevating to positive the employment

performance of the economy in 2011,”

Baldoz said after receiving the report of

the Bureau of Local Employment on the

PESOs’ accomplishments in the year just

ended. The report showed that the num-

ber of PESO-placed jobseekers constitute

76 percent of the majority of 1,456,926

jobseekers referred for job placement for

the one year period.

“The 1,108,908 jobseekers placed dur-

ing the year represent a 20.3 percent

growth, or 225,595 more job placements,

compared to the 883,313 jobseekers the

PESO network placed in 2010. “Of the

PESO network helped place

1,108,908 jobseekers in 2011;

target is 1.2 million in 2012total number of workers placed, almost

two-thirds (62.05 percent, or 688,147)

found jobs in the private sector and the

other third (37.94 percent, or 420,761) in

the government sector, Baldoz said.

“The higher placement rate achieved

last year reflect the high-level of confi-

dence that employers from both the pri-vate and government sectors repose at the

PESOs,” she added.

In its report, the BLE said all DOLE re-

gional offices have reported high job place-

ments by the PESOs throughout 2011,

with the highest placements registered in

Region IV-A, with 191,856; followed by

Region VI, 173,782; Region III, 129,949;

the NCR, 122,300; Region 12, 72,246;

CARAGA, 68,241; Region 11, 59,606;

Region VII, 57,548; CAR, 53,362; Region

IV-B, 40,698; Region X, 40,252; Region

I, 35,496; Region V, 22,246; Region 8,18,634; Region 2, 12,348; and Region 9,

10,344.

Baldoz said the DOLE’s aim this year

is for the PESO network to facilitate the

placement of 1.2 million jobseekers.

This will be achieved, she said, through

the provision of a combination of em-

ployment facilitation services that focus

on poverty reduction and empowerment

of the poor, and through the judicious use

of the PESO budget, which amounts to

only P20.009 million for 2012.

She also said that just like last year, the

DOLE will intensify its advocacy for the

institutionalization of PESOs in loca

government units and colleges and univer

sities to make them effective community

based job facilitation institutions.

The labor and employment chief said

the PESOs play an important role in the

pursuit of President Benigno S. Aquino

III’s 22-point labor and employmen

agenda the overarching goal of which is

“invest in our country’s top resource, our

human resource, to make us more com

petitive and employable while promoting

industrial peace based on social justice.”

The PESOs also respond to the goals o

the President’s Social Contract with theFilipino people and the Labor and Em

ployment Plan 2011-2016, as embodied

in the Philippine Development Plan 2011

2016 which envisions inclusive growth

that massively creates local jobs, sustains

real economy enterprises, produces de

cent work outcomes, and empowers our

people to rise above poverty.”

Specifically, PESOs are envisioned to

help in “address(ing) labor-mismatch by

promoting better coordination between

employers, academia and government” in

the local levels.“This is why strengthening the PESOs

and labor market information and ex

change institutions will be one of our pri

orities this year,” said Baldoz.

She expressed confidence that with

stronger and more institutionalized

PESOs in the countryside, more job

seekers, including fresh graduates and

other new entrants to the labor force, will

find productive jobs this year.

The PESOs were created under Re

public Act 8759 and are administered by

the DOLE through the BLE, an attachedagency. PESOs are linked to DOLE re

gional offices for coordination and techni

cal supervision in the performance of the

PESOs’ mandate of providing job search

assistance services. Under the PESO law

employers are encouraged to submit to the

PESO on a regular basis a list of job vacan

cies in their respective establishments in or

der to facilitate the exchange of labor mar

ket information services to job seekers.

The country’s corps of PESO officers serve as frontliners in the conduct of jobs fair across all regions.



It will also serve as a database of

inspected establishments, monitored

cases and corrections on violations,

and self-assessment and training ad-

visory visits, regional performance on

the LSEF, and reports submitted by all

DOLE regional offices.

The Registry of Establishments In-

formation System will be the database

of all covered establishments, regard-

less of size and economic activity.

Baldoz vows more transparency . . . (From page 2)

The Case Docket and Monitoring System

(Phase II) is for improved online monitor-

ing of all labor cases filed at DOLE offices.

An internal support system, the Hu-

man Resource Information System will

consolidate payroll processing, employee

profile, monitoring and computation of

employee leaves, and facilitate the gen-

eration of reports as the need arises.

This year, the National Conciliation

and Mediation Board will also develop

its Personnel Management Informa-

tion System and an Attendance Man-agement System.

“With our additional online systems, we

will make most of our data hub and roster

of services ‘at hand’ to our clients. This will

enhance more transparency and promote

greater accountability geared towards re-

ducing process cycle times, eliminating

wide areas of discretion, and eliminating all

forms of red tape and graft and corruption

as we make the Department closer to the

reach of our clients,” Baldoz explained.

One does not need to shell out

hefty cash for tuition fees in

order to land a high-paying

job.

This is the advice of Labor and

Employment Secretary Rosalinda

Dimapilis-Baldoz to young highschool graduates as she encouraged

them to take training courses related

to construction.

“Construction is an industry which

has been identified by

stakeholders, includ-

ing the DOLE in its

Project JobsFit: DOLE

2020 Vision, as having

a tremendous job-gen-

erating potential,” she

said, as the department

prepares to intensify its

career advocacy pro-

gram for school year

2012-2013.

Citing a report of the

DOLE’s Bureau of La-

bor and Employment,

Baldoz said Filipinos who are into

construction careers earn month-

ly salary ranging from P13,000 to

40,000 per month.

“Salaries of construction workers

can even go up as high as P50,000 forhighly-trained workers. Meanwhile,

tuition fees for courses related to con-

struction only cost about P3,000 to

P15,000, depending on the duration

and type of training,” the labor and

employment chief explained.

“In these times when the labor mar-

ket has gone increasingly competitive,

there are many construction-related

jobs that pay well and favor experience

A career in construction is hot, Baldoz saysand hard work, instead of degrees. Some

of these jobs which only require mini-

mum training cost but guarantee a return

of high income are CAD operators, elec-

tricians, and metal fabrication Techni-

cians,” Baldoz added.

The BLE reported that some comput-er schools offer courses on AUTO CAD

for 48 to 60 hours at a range of P4,500

to P5,600 training fee. Locally, salaries

for a CAD operator at the entry level

ranges from P10,000 to

P24,000 per month, plus

allowances, and other

incentives. There are nu-

merous opportunities for

CAD operators since ar-

chitectural and engineer-

ing design are now most-

ly translated into detailed

CAD drawings.

On the other hand, the

training cost for electri-

cians ranges from P3,000

to P5,000 in public tech-

nical-vocational schools.

Entry level salary for electricians rang-

es from P8,000-P12,000 per month and

may even go up to P15,000 per month

for those highly-trained and experi-

enced electricians.

“Among all occupations in the con-struction industry, Filipino electricians

are highly in-demand whether here or

abroad due to their impeccable exper-

tise in electronic wiring and mainte-

nance of equipment, appliances, appa-

ratus, and fixtures.

Baldoz also said that high school

graduates interested in becoming weld-

ers or metal fabrication technicians,

who earn a monthly salary of P8,000

up to P20,000, can avail of the De-

partment of Science and Technology-

Science Education Institute Scholar-

ship Grant.

“In the overseas market, Filipino

welders are highly-in-demand and

are among the top occupations withthe highest recorded deployment in

the construction industry.

Baldoz also said there are hundreds

of other promising construction-re-

lated occupations in the labor market

as proven in the past years, explaining

that technical and vocational training

has been a reliable engine for creating

opportunities and putting the ‘impos-

sible’ within reach.

“Vocational-technical training offers

the fastest turnaround from classroom

to workplace, from new skills to

paychecks,” Baldoz noted.

Other in-demand occupations

within the construction industry

which require short term study but

provide quick turnout of income

are heavy equipment mechanic and

operator; computer technician; pipe

layer; steam fitter; rigger; machinist;

and mason.

The BLE has drawn up a Career

Guide which provides basic information

on the occupations identified in ProjectJobsFit: The DOLE 2020 Vision. The

Career Guide features in-demand

jobs/careers viable in the next five

to ten years, and describes the basic

education requirements of a job, skills

and competencies, attributes and

characteristics, salary/compensation,

prospect for career advancement,

employment opportunities and cost of

education or training.

dole good news

Documents