News Release
Department of Labor and Employment
May 12, 2023
DOLE, 15 other agencies ink guidelines for first time jobseekers
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), with fifteen other signatory-agencies of the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act Inter-Agency Monitoring Committee (FTJAA IAMC), formally signed the FTJAA Joint Operational Guidelines (JOG) in a ceremony held on 12 May 2023 at the Kingsford Hotel Manila, Parañaque City.
The Joint Operational Guidelines shall institutionalize the procedures for all implementers and the issuance of pre-employment documents for the first time jobseekers as provided under the Republic Act No. 11261 or the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act.
In his keynote speech, DOLE Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma underscored the prime importance of the FTJAA JOG, that is to ease the financial burden of the first time jobseekers, “Isa ito sa mga pangarap namin sa Kagawaran — ang mabawasan ang pasanin ng mga ‘first time jobseeker’ sa paghahanap ng trabaho.” Further, he recognizes the importance of every member of the FTJAA IAMC, “[K]aakibat ng DOLE sa FTJAA ang kabuuan ng Inter-Agency Monitoring Committee na binubuo ng 25 ahensiyang handang maglingkod sa ating mga kababayan.”
Providing the opening remarks, Undersecretary Carmela I. Torres shared the collective goal of servicing all potential availees, “It is our goal to assist the 1.2 million potential graduates annually who are seeking employment by continuously engaging with the relevant stakeholders and push forward our collaboration with other government and development partners to realize our envisioned economic transformation for a prosperous, inclusive, and resilient society.”
Video messages from Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte; Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment; and Human Resources Development, and Senate Majority Floor Leader, Senator Joel Villanueva followed through.
Vice President Duterte expressed her support and congratulations to the ceremonial signing, while calling for industry partners, “I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to our industry partners to help us bridge the gaps and ensure actual skills acquisition of every senior high school learner during work immersion.”
Meanwhile, Senator Estrada noted of the timing of the event, “The signing of the guidelines came at an auspicious time when we’re seeing better prospects for the country’s workers as shown in the declining unemployment rate.”
Further, Senator Joel Villanueva, principal author and sponsor of the law in the Senate, expressed his joy and extended his congratulations to the IAMC, as the operational guidelines “is apt to motivate graduates to immediately seek employment as they will be exempted from fees only as first time jobseekers.”
Signatories who participated in the event include Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John E. Uy, Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairperson Karlo Alexei B. Nograles, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director-General Danilo P. Cruz, National Privacy Commission (NPC) Chairman John Henry D. Naga, and Public Employment Service Office Managers Association of the Philippines (PESOMAP) National President Luningning Y. Vergara. Other member-signatories in attendance are from the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Health (DOH), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Philippine National Police (PNP), and Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Completing the rest of the FTJAA IAMC are its member-witnesses present, with the attendance of National Youth Commission (NYC) Executive Director Leah T. Villalon, Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) President Tirso A. Ronquillo, and representatives from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Justice (DOJ), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG), and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
Representative Juan Fidel F. Nograles, Chairperson of the House of Committee on Labor and Employment also graced the event and witnessed the ceremonial signing of the FTJAA JOG.
The FTJAA has been implemented since 2019 after the enactment of the R.A. No. 11261. Beneficiaries are over 300,000 to date with estimated 83 million pesos of government fees waived. Among the salient features of the FTJAA JOG include the definition of a first time jobseeker, proof of eligibility and validity, reporting and monitoring mechanisms, and grievance procedures. END/ BLE
=====================================================
DOLE, 15 iba pang ahensiya naglatag ng alituntunin para sa first-time jobseekers
Pormal na nilagdaan ng Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), kasama ang labinlimang iba pang ahensiya ng First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act Inter-Agency Monitoring Committee (FTJAA IAMC), ang FTJAA Joint Operational Guidelines (JOG) na ginanap noong 12 Mayo 2023 sa Kingsford Hotel Manila, Parañaque City.
Sa Joint Operational Guidelines gagawing institusyonal ang lahat ng pamamaraan sa implementasyon at pag-iisyu ng mga dokumento para sa mga bagong naghahanap ng trabaho ayon sa itinakda ng Republic Act No. 11261 o ang First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act.
Sa kanyang talumpati, binigyang-diin ni DOLE Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma ang kahalagahan ng FTJAA JOG, at ito ay ang pagaanin ang pinansiyal na pasanin ng mga bagong naghahanap ng trabaho, “Isa ito sa mga pangarap namin sa Kagawaran — ang mabawasan ang pasanin ng mga `1st time jobseeker’ sa paghahanap ng trabaho.” Kinilala rin niya ang kahalagahan ng bawat miyembro ng FTJAA IAMC, “[K]aakibat ng DOLE sa FTJAA ang kabuuan ng Inter-Agency Monitoring Committee na binubuo ng 25 ahensiya na handang maglingkod sa ating mga kababayan,” dagdag niya.
Sa kanyang pambungad na pananalita, ibinahagi ni Undersecretary Carmela I. Torres ang sama-samang layunin na paglingkuran ang lahat ng potensyal na bagong maghahanap ng trabaho, “Layunin naming tulungan ang 1.2 milyong potensyal na nagtapos taun-taon na naghahanap ng trabaho sa pamamagitan ng patuloy na pakikipag-ugnayan sa mga stakeholder at pakikipagtulungan sa iba pang ahensiya ng pamahalaan at mga katuwang sa pag-unlad upang maisakatuparan ang ating inaasahang pagbabago sa ekonomiya para sa isang maunlad, inklusibo, at matatag na lipunan.”
Sinundan ito ng video message mula kay Vice President at concurrent Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte; Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, Chairperson ng Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, at Human Resources Development; at Senate Majority Floor Leader, Senator Joel Villanueva.
Ipinahayag ni Vice President Duterte ang kanyang suporta at pagbati sa seremonyal na paglalagda, kasabay ng panawagan sa mga industry partner, “Nais kong kunin ang pagkakataong ito na manawagan sa ating mga industry partner na tulungan kaming punan ang mga kakulangan at tiyakin na aktuwal na nakakamit ng bawat senior high school learner ang kasanayan sa panahon ng kanilang work immersion.”
Samantala, sinabi ni Senator Estrada na napapanahon ang nasabing okasyon. “Ang paglagda sa mga alituntunin ay dumating sa isang magandang panahon kung saan nakikita natin na gumaganda ang oportunidad para sa mga manggagawa ng ating bansa tulad ng ipinapakita sa pagbaba ng unemployment rate.”
Dagdag pa, ipinahayag naman ni Senador Joel Villanueva, punong may-akda at sponsor ng batas sa Senado, ang kanyang kagalakan at ipinaabot ang kanyang pagbati sa IAMC, dahil ang mga alituntunin “ay magbibigay sigla sa mga nagtapos na agad na maghanap ng trabaho dahil wala silang dapat bayaran bilang first time jobseeker.”
Kasama sa mga lumagda sina Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John E. Uy, Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairperson Karlo Alexei B. Nograles, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director-General Danilo P. Cruz, National Privacy Commission (NPC) Chairman John Henry D. Naga, at Public Employment Service Office Managers Association of the Philippines (PESOMAP) National President Luningning Y. Vergara.
Ang iba pang miyembro na lumagda ay mula sa Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Health (DOH), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Philippine National Police (PNP), at Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Naging saksi rin ang iba pang miyembro ng FTJAA IAMC, kasama sina National Youth Commission (NYC) Executive Director Leah T. Villalon, Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) President Tirso A. Ronquillo, at kinatawan mula sa Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Justice (DOJ), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG), at Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
Sinaksihan din ni Representative Juan Fidel F. Nograles, Chairperson of the House of Committee on Labor and Employment ang ceremonial signing ng FTJAA JOG.
Ipinatupad ang FTJAA noong 2019 matapos isabatas ang R.A. No. 11261. Sa ngayon, tinatayang P83 milyong government fee ang nailibre sa mahigit 300,000 benepisaryo. Kabilang sa tampok na katangian ng FTJAA JOG ay ang kahulugan ng first time jobseeker, proof of eligibility and validity, reporting and monitoring mechanisms, at grievance procedures. END/ BLE/ gmea
