Atty. Teresita R.

Manzala has a wide span of public service

experience having served, for almost three decades, the various publics of the
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) including the overseas Filipino
workers.

Immediately before her appointment as PRC Chairperson, she served as the

OWWA Deputy Administrator for Reintegration Services and Center Director of
the National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO). Prior to this twin
designation, Atty. Manzala occupied various senior positions at the DOLE. She
has been a Director of two important and critical Bureaus, a Regional Director
of five large Regional Offices, and Labor Attach in two Philippine Overseas
Labor Offices (POLOs).

As the Director of the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE), she was responsible
for the development of the Phil-JobNet and the Computerized National
Manpower Register of Skills as well as the formulation of Regional
Employment Plans. She was also responsible in the formulation of such
important policy issuances as the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the
PESO Act of 2000, Omnibus Guidelines on the Issuance of Alien Employment
Permits and Manual of Operations, Revised Guidelines on the Recruitment and
Placement of Workers for Local Employment by Private Recruitment and
Placement Agencies, among others.

During her stint at the Bureau of Working Conditions (BWC), Atty. Manzala can
be credited for the development and issuance of the Labor Standards
Enforcement Framework and its Accompanying Manuals. As Regional Director
of DOLE Regional Offices I, II, III, VI and CAR, she implemented various
employment and social protection programs for Filipino workers, chaired the
Regional Wages and Productivity Board, and enforced labor standards.

Under her stewardship as its Labor Attach, POLO-Rome (Italy) was able to
formulate a project proposal for the Reintegration of Undocumented OFWs in
Italy, which was funded by the Government of Italy in coordination with the
International Organization for Migration. While in POLO-Tel-Aviv (Israel), Atty.
Manzala developed a Handbook on Critical Incident Debriefing, Stress
Management, Counseling and Case Management for OFWs in Israel as an
offshoot of the Israel-Lebanon (Hezbollah) War. In both overseas Posts, she
was responsible for the resolution of numerous welfare cases involving OFWs,
in verification of job orders and employment contracts for OFWs, and in
negotiations with host countries on matters of OFW protection and
advancement.

In addition, Atty. Manzala also served as negotiator for the DOLE in various
trade negotiations. She headed the Philippine Negotiating Group on Movement
of Natural Persons under the Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership
Agreement (JPEPA) as well as the Philippine Negotiating Group on Movement
of Natural Persons under the ASEAN-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement. She
was also a member of the Philippine Delegation in the RP-Israel Social
Security Negotiations and the Philippine Negotiation Team on ASEAN
Coordinating Committee on Services.

On top of these, she also represented the country in numerous international or

regional conferences/fora on various areas of concern (e.g., employment,
productivity, labor standards, international labor migration, migrant
reintegration, etc.) either as delegate, government adviser or resource
speaker.

She also taught international labor laws, and employment and working
conditions at the Graduate School of Business and Economics of the Dela
Salle University Manila and its Extension Class in fort Bonifacio in its Master
of Science in Industrial Relations Management.

Atty. Manzala holds two baccalaureate degrees -- Bachelor of Laws from Saint
Louis University of Baguio City and AB Political Science from University of the
Philippines Diliman and a masteral degree in Public Administration from the
UP College of Public Administration. She also completed non-
degree/fellowship programs on Occupational Health and Safety (Swedish
Institute, University of Aston in Birmingham); Women in the Workplace (US
Department of Labor, Florida International University); and Negotiating
Skills/Disciplines in WTO (Under World Bank, WTO and Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Singapore).