Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2005, published 95th ILC session (2006)

Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Philippines (Ratification: 1953)

1. Contribution of the employment service to employment promotion. The Committee takes note of the information contained in the Government’s report received in September 2004. The Committee notes with interest that job fairs are usually held in strategic geographical areas throughout the country to match the respective manpower resources found in a particular locality with the job vacancies of the participating employers and recruitment agencies. For the period January-June 2004, a total of 8,971 applicants were placed as a result of the job fairs. The Committee also notes with interest the Government’s Internet-based job search service called Phil-Jobnet. Phil-Jobnet provides jobseekers with easy access to employment services including applying online for available jobs. With reference to the measures for temporary workers, the Government provides statistics in this regard for the period January-June 2004 and indicates that it falls under the Public Employment Service Office’s (PESO) special programmes from which displaced workers are assisted through job realignment, facilitation by wage employment or assisted in temporary livelihood assistance. The Committee refers to its 2005 observation on the application of the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122), and requests the Government to continue to provide information on the manner in which the PESO carries out its essential task, ensuring, in accordance with Article 1, paragraph 1, of the Convention, the best possible organization of the employment market for the achievement and maintenance of full employment and for the development and use of productive resources.

2. Cooperation of the social partners. With reference to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government indicates that the Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (TIPC) conducts consultation meetings with various local governments, labour and employer groups on matters concerning employment service programmes. The Committee takes note of this information and asks the Government to keep it informed of progress on the adoption of the Bill to amend the Labour Code as well as details on the role and functioning of the upcoming national tripartite advisory committee on employment service (Articles 5 and 6).

3. Administration and funding (Part III of the report form). The Government indicates that the PESO has been institutionalized through the adoption and coming into force in 2000 of Act No. 8759. Most of the PESOs are funded by the local government units and the national government cannot upgrade the functions of the PESOs to become fully operational due to insufficient funds. The Committee takes note of this information and asks the Government to keep informing it of difficulties encountered in this regard.