REPUBLIC ACT NO.

8759 February 14, 2000

AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING A NATIONAL FACILITATION SERVICE NETWORK THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PUBLIC
EMPLOYMENT SERVICE OFFICE IN EVERY PROVINCE, KEY CITY AND OTHER STRATEGIC AREAS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Title. This Act shall be known as the "Public Employment Service Office Act of 1999."

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is a declared policy of the State to promote full employment and equality of employment
opportunities for all, and for this purpose, to strengthen and expand the existing employment facilitation service machinery of
the government particularly at the local levels.

Section 3. Establishment of the Public Employment Service Office. - To carry out the above-declared policy, there shall be
established in all capital towns of provinces, key cities and other strategic areas a Public Employment Service Office, hereinafter
referred to as "PESO," which shall be community-based and maintained largely by local government units (LGUs) and a number
of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) or community-based organizations (CBOs) and state universities and colleges (SUCs).
The PESOs shall be linked to the regional offices of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for coordination and
technical supervision, and to the DOLE central office, to constitute the national employment service network.

Section 4. Objectives of the PESO. - In general, the PESO shall ensure the prompt, timely and efficient delivery of employment
service and provision of information on the other DOLE programs.

Specifically, the PESO shall:

(a) Provide a venue where people could explore simultaneously various employment options and actually seek assistance they
prefer;

(b) Serve as referral and information center for the various services and programs of DOLE and other government agencies
present in the area;

(c) Provide clients with adequate information on employment and labor market situation in the area; and

(d) Network with other PESOs within the region on employment for job exchange purposes.

Section 5. Functions of the PESO. - The PESO shall have the following functions:

(a) Encourage employers to submit to the PESO on a regular basis a list of job vacancies in their respective establishments in
order to facilitate the exchange of labor market information between job seekers and employers by providing employment
information services to job seekers, both for local and overseas employment, and recruitment assistance to employers;

(b) Develop and administer testing and evaluation instruments for effective job selection, training and counselling;

(c) Provide persons with entrepreneurship qualities access to the various livelihood and self-employment programs offered by
both government and nongovernmental organizations at the provincial/city/municipal/barangay levels by undertaking referrals
for such programs;

(d) Undertake employability enhancement trainings/seminars for job seekers, as well as those who would like to change career
or enhance their employability;
(e) Provide employment or occupational counselling, career guidance, mass motivation and values development activities;

(f) Conduct pre-employment counselling and orientation to prospective local and, most especially, overseas workers;

(g) Provide reintegration assistance services to returning Filipino migrant workers; and

(h) Perform such functions as willfully carry out the objectives of this Act.

Section 6. Other Services of the PESO. - In addition to the functions enumerated in the preceding section, every PESO shall also
undertake the following programs and activities:

(a) Jobs Fairs - These shall be conducted periodically all over the country to bring together in one venue job seekers and
employers for immediate matching;

(b) Livelihood and Self-Employment Bazaars - These will give clients information on the wide array of livelihood programs they
choose to avail of, particularly in the rural areas;

(c) Special Credit Assistance for Placed Overseas Workers - This type of assistance will enable poor but qualified applicants to
avail of opportunities for overseas employment;

(d) Special Program for Employment of Students and Out-of-School Youth (SPESOS) - This program shall endeavor to provide
employment to deserving students and out-of-school youth coming from poor families during summer and/or Christmas
vacations as provided for under Republic Act No. 7323 and its implementing rules, to enable them to pursue their education;

(e) Work Appreciation Program (WAP) - This program aims to develop the values of work appreciation and ethics by exposing
the young to actual work situations;

(f) Workers Hiring for Infrastructure Projects (WHIP) - This program is in pursuance of Republic Act No. 6685 which requires
construction companies, including the Department of Public Works and Highways and contractors for government-funded
infrastructure projects, to hire thirty percent (30%) of skilled and fifty percent (50%) of unskilled labor requirements from the
areas where the project is constructed/located; and

(g) Other programs/activities developed by DOLE to enhance provision of employment assistance to PESO clients, particularly
for special groups of disadvantaged workers such as persons with disabilities (PWDs) and displaced workers.

Section 7. Role of DOLE and LGUs, NGOs, CBOs and SUCs. - Upon the request of the LGUs, NGOs, CBOs, SUCs which do not have
existing PESOs, the establishment, operation and maintenance of PESOs shall be undertaken by the DOLE. The DOLE shall enter
into memoranda of agreements with the concerned LGUs, NGOs, CBOs, SUCs for the establishment, operation and maintenance
of PESOs in their respective areas of jurisdiction, and the institutionalization of existing PESOs.

It shall be the responsibility of the DOLE to:

(a) Establish and maintain a computerized national manpower registry of skills and employment and business opportunities 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;

(b) Provide office space, equipment and/or supplies, as well as the necessary personnel complement to manage, operate and
maintain the PESO;

(c) Designate, in consultation with the LGU, NGO, CBO or SUC concerned, a qualified project manager and/or key personnel who
shall be responsible for the operation and management of the PESO;
(d) Provide technical assistance and allied support services to the PESO;

(e) Train PESO personnel in the various aspects of employment facilitation functions;

(f) Extend/facilitate such other package of employment services to the provision of employment assistance to clients of the LGU,
NGO, CBO or SUC concerned, including the conduct of jobs fairs and other activities; and

(g) Undertake, monitor, assess and evaluate the PESO program implementation.

For their part, the LGUs, NGOs, CBOs or SUCs shall extend such assistance and services as may be necessary in the promotion of
employment within their respective areas of jurisdiction.

Section 8. Administration of the PESO Program. - The DOLE shall be primarily responsible for the administration of the PESO
Program through its Bureau of Local Employment, as well as its regional offices throughout the country. The Secretary of Labor
and Employment, in coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and in consultation with the
presidents of the various local government leagues, namely the League of Provinces, the League of Cities, the League of
Municipalities and the League of Barangays, shall accordingly promulgate, within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act,
the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of the Program.

Section 9. Funding. - The amount necessary for the initial implementation of this Act shall be charged against the existing
appropriation of the DOLE and its other operating agencies. Thereafter, the amounts needed for the full implementation of this
Act shall be included in the budget of the DOLE in the succeeding General Appropriations Act.

Section 10. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations or any part thereof which are
inconsistent herewith are hereby deemed repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 11. Separability Clause. - If for any reason, any section or provision of this Act or any part thereof, or the application of
such section, provision or portion is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder thereof shall not be affected by such
declaration.

Section 12. Effectivity. -This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2)
newspapers of general circulation.

Approved: February 14, 2000

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REPUBLIC ACT No. 10691

AN ACT DEFINING THE ROLE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT (DOLE), THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS
(LGUs), AND ACCREDITED NONGOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS (NGOs) IN THE ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF THE PUBLIC
EMPLOYMENT SERVICE OFFICE (PESO), AND THE OPERATION OF JOB PLACEMENT OFFICES IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS (Els),
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTIONS 3, 5, 6, 7 AND 9 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8759, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE PUBLIC
EMPLOYMENT SERVICE OFFICE ACT OF 1999

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Section 3 of Republic Act No. 8759, otherwise known as the Public Employment Service Office Act of 1999, is
hereby amended to read as follows:
SEC. 3. Establishment of the Public Employment Service Office. To carry out the above declared policy, there shall be
established in all provinces, cities, and municipalities a Public Employment Service Office, hereinafter referred to as PESO,
which shall be operated and maintained by local government units (LGUs). The PESOs shall be linked to the regional offices of
the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for coordination and technical supervision, and to the DOLE central office, to
constitute the national public employment service network.

The PESO shall be under the office of the governor, city or municipal mayor. The PESO shall be initially organized by and
composed of a PESO manager and may be assisted by a labor and employment officer (LEO) as may be determined by the LGU.

Upon the request of accredited nongovernment organizations (NGOs) or educational institutions (Els), the DOLE may enter into
a memorandum of agreement for the NGO and EI to establish, operate and maintain a PESO and a job placement office,
respectively.

To harmonize the provision of employment services in a given territorial jurisdiction, the PESO at the NGOs and the job
placement office in Els shall coordinate their activities with the appropriate LGU PESO.

SECTION 2. Section 5 of the same law is hereby amended to read as follows:

SEC. 5. Functions of the PESO. The PESO shall have the following functions:

(a) Encourage employers to submit to the PESO on a regular basis a list of job vacancies in their respective establishments in
order to facilitate the exchange of labor market information between job seekers and employers by providing employment
information services to job seekers, both for local and overseas employment, and recruitment assistance to employers;

(b) Develop and administer testing and evaluation instruments for effective job selection, training and counselling;

(c) Provide persons with entrepreneurship qualities, access to the various livelihood and self-employment programs offered by
both government and nongovernment organizations at the provincial, city, municipal and barangay levels by undertaking
referrals for such program;

(d) Undertake employability enhancement trainings or seminars for job seekers, as well as those who would like to change
career or enhance their employability;

(e) Provide employment or occupational counselling, career guidance, mass motivation and values development activities;

(f) Conduct pre-employment counselling and orientation to prospective local and, most especially, overseas workers;

(g) Provide reintegration assistance services to returning Filipino migrant workers;

(h) Prepare and submit to the local sanggunian an annual employment plan and budget including other regular funding sources
and budgetary support of the PESO; and

(i) Perform such functions as to fully carry out the objectives of this Act.

SECTION 3. Section 6 of the same law is hereby amended to read as follows:

SEC. 6. Other Services of the PESO. In addition to the functions enumerated in the preceding section, every PESO shall
undertake holistic strategies, programs and activities to transform the PESO into a modern public employment service
intermediary that provides multi-dimensional employment facilitation services.
SECTION 4. Section 7 of the same law is hereby amended to read as follows:

SEC. 7. Role of the DOLE and the LGUs. The LGUs, in coordination with the DOLE, shall establish the PESO.

It shall be the responsibility of the DOLE to:

(a) Provide technical supervision, coordination and capacity-building to the PESO;

(b) Establish and maintain 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 interregional job clearance systems as part of the overall
employment network;

(c) Provide technical assistance and allied support services to the PESO including, but not limited to, the training of PESO
personnel in the various aspects of employment facilitation functions;

(d) Set standards for the establishment and operation of the PESO office, and qualification standards for the PESO personnel;

(e) Extend other packages of employment services to the LGU, NGO or EI concerned, including the conduct of job lairs, career
development seminars, and other activities; and

(f) Monitor, assess, and evaluate the performance of the PESOs, including the job placement offices in Els.

For their part, persons who are seeking employment, particularly the unemployed, shall register at the PESO for employment
facilitation assistance. The establishments, on the other hand, shall submit their job vacancies as well as applicants hired to the
PESO to ensure the availability of accurate information on supply and demand for skills in the labor market.

The LGU shall establish a monitoring system wherein establishments operating in the locality shall report the following relevant
labor market information to the concerned office of the LGU:

(1) Present number and nature of jobs; and

(2) Projection of jobs that the establishment will provide or offer in the next five (5) years.

The information shall be submitted to the PESO for job matching and to Els for career guidance of the students.

It shall be the responsibility of the concerned LGU to:

(i) Operate and maintain the PESO;

(ii) Ensure compliance with the operational standards set by the DOLE;

(iii) Extend such assistance and services as may be necessary in the promotion of employment within the area of jurisdiction;
and

(iv) Submit to the DOLE periodic: performance and accomplishment reports.

SECTION 5. Section 9 of the same law is hereby amended to read as follows:

SEC. 9. Funding. The funding for the operation and maintenance of the PESO shall be provided by the LGU from its internal
revenue allotment and other internally generated income of the LGU concerned. Likewise, the operation and maintenance of
the NGO PESOs and job placement offices of Els shall be charged against their internally generated income.
Funds for the provision of technical assistance, training and supervision of the PESO shall be included in the budget of the
DOLE in the annual General Appropriations Act.1wphi1

The amount necessary to implement the provisions of this Act shall be included by the Department of Budget and
Management in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SECTION 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The Secretary of Labor and Employment shall issue the necessary rules and
regulations for the effective implementation of this Act within ninety (90) days after its effectivity.

SECTION 7. Separability Clause. If, for any reason, any section or provision of this Act or any part thereof, or the application of
such section, provision or portion is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder thereof shall not be affected by such
declaration.

SECTION 8. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, executive orders, proclamations, rules and regulations or any part thereof,
which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, are hereby deemed repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 9. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette or
in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation