The Secretary of Labor shall have the power and authority:
(a) To organize and establish new employment offices in addition to the existing employment offices under the Department of Labor as the need arises;
(b) To organize and establish a nationwide job clearance and information system to inform applicants registering with a particular employment office of job opportunities in other parts of the country as well as job opportunities abroad;
(c) To develop and organize a program that will facilitate occupational, industrial and geographical mobility of labor and provide assistance in the relocation of workers from one area to another; and
(d) To require any person, establishment, organization or institution to submit such employment information as may be prescribed by the Secretary of Labor.
Editor’s notes from DOLE (1)
R.A. No. 8759, “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” or the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) Act of 1999, established the PESOs consistent with the state policy to “provide 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.” It was amended in 2014 by R.A. No. 10691, An Act Defining the Role of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Local Government Units (LGUs), and Accredited Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in the Establishment and Operation of the Public Employment Service Office (PESO), and the Operation of Job Placement Offices in Educational Institutions (EIs), 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.” Sec. 3 of R.A. No. 10691 provides: “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.” See DOLE D.O. No. 157 (2016) for specific regulations. See R.A. No. 6685 which requires private contractors to whom national, provincial, city, and municipal public works projects have been awarded under contract to hire at least 50% of the unskilled labor and 30% of skilled labor requirements from the available bona fide residents in the locality where an infrastructure project is to be undertaken. DPWH D.O. No. 130 (2016) provides the guidelines to implement the said law. R.A. No. 6685 which requires private contractors to whom national, provincial, city, and municipal public works projects have been awarded under contract to hire at least 50% of the unskilled labor and 30% of skilled labor requirements from the available bona fide residents in the locality where an infrastructure project is to be undertaken. DPWH D.O. No. 130 (2016) provides the guidelines to implement the said law. See also R.A. No. 10869 (2016) or the “JobStart Philippines Act” which aims to shorten the youth's school to work transition by enhancing the knowledge and skills acquired in formal education or technical training by jobseekers in order for them to become more responsive to the demands of the labor market. Refer to DOLE D.O. No. 179 (2017) for specific regulations.
Text and numbering follow the Department of Labor and Employment's 2022 edition of Presidential Decree No. 442, as amended and renumbered under DOLE Department Advisory No. 01, series of 2015. Former article numbers are shown in brackets. Notes are DOLE's editorial notes. Amendments after that edition are not included. For information and research only, and not legal advice. For certified copies, refer to the Official Gazette or the issuing agency.