Baldoz to heads of DOLE agencies: Make it easier, faster for DOLE clients to transact business

We have set the DOLE reforms in place. What we need to do is to focus on these reforms and make good with our deliverables, Baldoz said as she instructed monthly reports from the heads of each DOLE offices outlining their accomplishments vis a vis their set targets for the year. Baldoz also instructed all heads of DOLE attached agencies, bureaus, and services to communicate more openly with all DOLE clients through the media. We have already utilized the Internet to communicate some of our transactions and processes to our publics, she said, citing the online posting of the networth of DOLE officials, all DOLE cases, and names of beneficiaries of DOLE livelihood programs. I expect you to inform our people how many more of these transactions and processes will be online this year, she added. Baldoz said she will hold accountable all DOLE officials for their respective program targets, and corresponding performance and will not hesitate to institute measures to ensure compliance. We owe this to our people who, in the very words of President Aquino, are our boss, she finally said.

abor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz issued her first marching order for 2012 to all DOLE regional directors and heads of DOLE attached agencies, bureaus, and services by asking them to implement systems improvement that would lead their respective offices to attain ISO certification during the year.
This means improving and making efficient all services delivery mechanisms, reducing process cycle times, minimizing wide areas of discretion, and eliminating all forms of red tape and graft and corruption that would make it easier and faster for our clients to transact official business with the Department, said Baldoz. Baldoz said that she expects all officials and employees of the DOLE and its attached agencies, bureaus, and services, including regional and field offices, to exercise greater accountability and transparency in all their dealings with the people, in consonance with the 22-point labor and employment agenda of President Benigno S. Aquino III, his Social Contract with the Filipino people, and the Labor and Employment Plan 2011-2016.

DOLE Good News

Baldoz vows more transparency and accessibility as DOLE uploads more online programs and services
On the other hand, the National Wages and Productivity Commission shall establish a Legal Support System to respond to the needs of researchers and policy-makers on wages and productivity issuances. It shall have a referencing and browsing capabilities to enable users to update databases embedded in the system at the functional level, such as inquiry, file maintenance, etc. It shall also develop a new Library Information System and a Project Monitoring and Evaluation System. At the DOLE proper, Baldoz said six new information system/sub-system will go online this year, namely, (1) Foreign Labor Operations System; (2) Enhanced Labor Standards Enforcement Monitoring System; (3) Registry of Establishments Information System; (4) Case Docket and Monitoring System (Phase II); (5) Human Resource Information System; and (6) Virtual Integrated System (Phase I). The Foreign Labor Operations Information System, an internal support system, will monitor all the activities and operations of labor attaches, including work and financial plans and actual accomplishments on a quarterly, semi-annual, and annual basis. The Enhanced Labor Standards Enforcement Monitoring System will facilitate monitoring compliance of establishments with general labor standards occupational safety and health standards. Turn to page 8

ursuing more systems improvement and using online technology towards better and more efficient public services delivery are just some of the thrusts of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) this year. Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz vowed that the DOLE will introduce more innovative online systems and databases to make its transactions and processes more convenient, accessible, and transparent. One of our thrusts this year is to develop new information systems to complement our existing array of online mechanisms to ensure fast, extensive, and integrated delivery and monitoring of all services being done by all DOLE attached agencies, bureaus, and services, including regional and field offices, she said. The Professional Regulation Commission, which in 2011 has put online a number of its transactions, will continue to boost professional regulation services. This year, it will already make available its Professional Identification Card Availability Verification, Online Verification of Eligibility, Online Verification of Academic Records, Online Board Examination Application, and Online Renewal Application Systems. These systems are already in various stages of implementation. In addition, Secretary Baldoz said that the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, under the leadership of newly-appointed Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac, is set to develop a Digitation of Central Records System.
Editor NICON F. FAMERONAG Director, LCO Associate Editors FLORO L. FERNANDO KAREN R. SERRANO Staff Writers JOSE C. DE LEON MARK JAIME L. CERDENIA MA. VERONICA R. ALMAZORA CELESTE T. MARING HAZEL JOY T. GALAMAY Editorial Assistants GIRLIE MARLYN E. ARCE MADELYN D. DOMETITA Graphic Artist GREGORIO I. GALMAN Photographer JOMAR S. LAGMAY Circulation Manager GIRLIE MARLYN E. ARCE

Contributing Writers GENEVIEVE S. TATAD GEORGE LUBIN, JR. ARLY STA. ANA-VALDEZ REGINALD B. ESTIOCO JEREMIAH M. BORJA DULCE AMOR L. LEDESMA ANDREA JOY AGUTAYA RAYMOND P. ESCALANTE AMALIA N. JUDICPA ROY BUENAFE VIRGILIO A. DOROJA, JR. JAZMIN O. CINCO MILDRED DABLIO JOCELYN C. FLORDELIZ CHARMAINE DAWN L. SONSONA ANNIE TANGPOS

The DOLE Good News is published by the Department of Labor and Employment with editorial office at the Labor Communications Office, 6th Floor, DOLE Building, Intramuros, Manila. The views expressed herein are those of the writers and/or their sources and do not necessarily reflect those of the DOLEs or the Philippine Governments. Readers queries, comments, and suggestions are welcome. Mail or fax them in, or call us at telephone numbers 5273000 loc. 620, 621, 622, 623, 625, 626, 627. Our fax number is 527-3446. You may also visit our website: www.dole.gov.ph; or e-mail us at dole_lco@yahoo.com.

January 2012

DOLE Good News

DOLE to intensify Labor and Employment Plan strategies on anti-child labor

o carry out the strategies embodied in the Labor and Employment Plan 2011-2016, particulalry on strengthening measures to prevent and eliminate the worst forms of child labor, Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz bared that one of the priorities of the DOLE this year is to reinforce strategic partnerships and intensify advocacy and action at the national, regional, community, and firm or establishment levels. Speaking at the 1st DOLE media briefing in Intramuros, Manila, Baldoz said that the Department will also improve access of child laborers and their families to quality integrated services, such as the provision of livelihood, entrepreneurship, health, education, and training. Our vigilance and focus on what we have started will continue to totally curb not only the incidence of child labor, but also illegal recruitment and trafficking of persons in the country in 2012, she said. This year, the DOLE will increase the provision of protection services to children from all forms of abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation and discrimination, she added, saying that the DOLE has allotted P121 million for the anti-child labor, anti-illegal recruitment, and anti-human trafficking programs, a 36 percent

increase from last years budget of P108 million. Baldoz said that the Department, through its regional offices, will also continue to forge agreements and the like on anti-illegal recruitment, anti-child-labor, and anti-human trafficking with local government units, non-government organizations, and other government agencies. Through an existing program, the Sagip Batang Manggagawa (SBM), the DOLE has also pledged to act upon 100 percent on complaints and reports of cases of child labor in extremely abject conditions. The SBM is an inter-agency mechanism under the Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program that responds to cases of child labor in extremely abject conditions. It employs a quick action team for detecting, monitoring, and rescuing child laborers in hazardous and exploitative working conditions at the community level. It also provides other appropriate interventions for the relief of child laborers, such as the physical and psychological services to child labor victims; filing of administrative and criminal cases; and facilitation of the return of the child laborers to their parents, guardians or custodians.

Baldoz added that this years intensified policy reforms and program expansion to combat child labor seeks to upscale the implementation of the Philippine Program Against Child Labor (PPACL) towards a child labor-free Philippines. DOLE leads in the implementation of the governments anti-child labor program, particularly on the improvement of the conditions of children at work, banning of child employment in hazardous occupation, and enforcement of laws, standards and policies.

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January 2012

DOLE Good News

Baldoz, mindful that there still exists a ban in the deployment of HSWs to the Kingdom. Baldoz said that with the signing of the protocol, the Philippines and Jordan, which in June 2011 both endorsed for the adoption by the International Labor Organization of the Convention on Domestic Workers, or ILO C 189, demonstrate their recognition of the necessity to adhere to international standards of decent work, particularly in promoting and ensuring the protection and welfare of household service workers. The protocol ensures the welfare and benefits provided for under our Reform Package for HSWs, particularly the payment of correct wages. Under the protocol, only those employers who have the capacity to pay the minimum salary of US$400 will be allowed to hire Filipino HSWs, she emphatically said, adding: There are currently about 25,000 OFWs in Jordan, comprising 4.2 percent of total migrant workers in the Kingdom. They work as professional workers, such as engineers, nurses, IT workers; skilled workers, such as welders, operators, and designers; semi-skilled workers, such as drivers, electricians, mechanics, hotel workers; and workers in service establishments, such as cleaners, waiters, etc. However, a large portion of OFWs in the Hashemite Kingdom are HSWs, many of whom are illegal and undocumented, and thus vulnerable to abuses. This prompted the Philippines to impose a ban on their deployment in 2001. In 2010, Jordan and the Philippines signed a MOU on Labor Cooperation which paved the way for the signing of the Principles and Controls protocol. The Principles and Controls contain the following salient features: Processes on recruitment and arrival of domestic workers shall be done through licensed agencies, in accordance with legal procedures in both countries; Issuance of a work and residence permit to a domestic worker; Observance of the minimum age limit of 23 years; Verification and authentication of work contracts by the POLO and Philippine Embassy in Amman; Securing life insurance policies for the domestic worker by the employer, in addition to the compulsory insurance provided under RA 10022 charged to licensed agencies at no cost to the worker and renewable after the contract upon mutual agreement between worker and employer; Responsibility of both governments to provide adequate information on rights and obligations of domestic workers and employers;

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz (3rd from left) signs the Principles and Controls Regulating the Deployment and Employment of Filipino Domestic Workers to Jordan, otherwise known as the Protocol to the Memorandum of Understanding on Labor Cooperation, as her counterpart, Minister Maher Al Waked, (4th, left) looks on. The signing of the Protocol, held in Amman, was also witnessed by DOLE Undersecretary Danilo P. Cruz (1st, left), POEA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac, OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon, and other Jordanian Labor officials.

Baldoz says both countries agreed to adopt standard employment contract

Jordan-Philippines signs protocol to regulate HSWs employment

It was also witnessed by Undersecretary for Employment Danilo P. Cruz; Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration; Administrator Carmelita Dimzon of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration; Director Maya Valderrama of the International Labor Affairs Bureau; Maria Rosamy Reyes, Officer-in-Charge of the Philippine Embassy-Amman; and Philippine Overseas Labor Office Amman Officer-in-Charge Mario Antonio. This Principles and Controls is a positive, forward step that will guarantee more protection and welfare for our household service workers in Jordan as both countries agreed to immediately adopt a Standard Employment Contract for OFWs, Baldoz said during a joint press conference with Minister Maher Al Waked after the signing. It spells out the measures that the Philippines and Jordan will take to ensure that household service workers to be employed in Jordan in the future will undergo the legal and correct processes of both countries, said

mman--Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda DimapilisBaldoz and Jordan Labor Minister Maher Al Waked signed the Principles and Controls for Regulating Deployment and Employment of Filipino Domestic Workers, shortly known as Principles and Controls, a document that constitutes a specific protocol or guideline for the implementation of Article 1 of the Memorandum of Understanding on Labor Cooperation forged between the Philippiness Department of Labor and Employment and Jordans Ministry of Labor on 27 May 2010. The signing, which took place at the office of the Jordanian Ministry of Labor in this city, was witnessed by Jordanian labor officials led by Undersecretary Nadera Al Bakheet; Ibrahim Al Saudi, Director for Legal Affairs; Laila Shobaki, Director for International Cooperation; Afi Aljbhour, Director of Domestic Labor Directorate; Mazen Karaymeh, Director of Migrant Workers Labour Directorate; and Asma Abu Azzam and Ibrahim Al Al Zogbi, Assistant Undersecretaries. 4
January 2012

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Right of the Philippines to obtain a copy of domestic workers records in Jordan; Affirmation of the right of a domestic worker to change an employer, consistent with Jordanian laws; Opening of a bank account in the name of the domestic worker, with an obligation to timely deposit the domestic workers monthly salary; Provision by the employer of decent accommodation, food, clothing, and medical care for the domestic worker; Provision by the employer of one rest day per week for the domestic worker; Provision by the employer of working hours not to exceed ten hours a day; Both governments obligation to provide information on relevant fees and costs collected by recruitment agencies; Observance of anti-illegal recruitment rules and procedures in both countries; The Philippines to provide a system of training, qualification, and skills certification of domestic workers at no cost to the worker, charged to the Philippine licensed agencies; Medical examination of domestic workers prior to deployment; the medical examination will not cost the worker any for this will be charged to the Philippine licensed agencies; Obligation of Philippine licensed recruitment agency to replace domestic worker who refuses to work for no justifiable reason; both the replaced and the replacement workers shall likewise not bear the cost for this will be charged to the Philippine licensed agencies; Action on the part of Ministry of Labor of Jordan to resolve any outstanding problems between runaway domestic workers, their employers, and Jordanian agencies; Access to justice before Jordanian courts; Creation of a Joint Action Committee to discuss problems arising from the execution of the Principles and Controls; and Three-year validity of the Principles and Controls, subject to automatic renewal for a similar period Baldoz emphasized that the matter on developing a Standard Employment Contract for Household Service Workers to eliminate abuses and contract substitution is a matter of priority for the two governments to immediately discuss and conclude as part of the joint efforts to lift the ban. I am confident that with this Principles and Controls and the adoption of the Standard Employment Contract, the deployment and employment of Filipino household workers to Jordan will take the road leading towards more protection and less problems inherent in a vulnerable sector like domestic work, she finally said.

Baldoz orders all POLOs to strengthen case build-up against illegal recruiters, human traffickers

MMAN--Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz ordered all Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) officials to focus on and prioritize the build-up of cases against suspected illegal recruiters and human traffickers who lure poor and vulnerable Filipino workers, particularly women, with rosy promises of overseas jobs that only entrap them into inhuman and despicable condition. I want immediate results on cases that are clearly solvable if only you can build them up with detail that can stand before the courts, she said, after hearing for herself the testimonies of illegally recruited HSWs at the Filipino Workers Resource Center at the POLO in this capital. Baldoz, who is on a two-country swing in the Middle East to sign labor cooperation agreements--she signed a protocol with Jordan Labor Minister Maher Al Waked and will sign a memorandum of understanding on labor cooperation with his Lebanese counterpart, Dr. Charbel Nahhas--had visited the POLOs FWRC in Amman and delivered an impromptu message to some 50 HSWs who had ran away from their employers due to various reasons, such as low or unpaid salaries, physical abuse, overwork, and other violations. I have signed the Principles and Controls for Regulating Deployment and Employment of Filipino Domestic Workers with Jordan Labor Minister Maher Al Waked of Jordan which will ensure your welfare and protection, she informed the HSWs in Filipino, but you also have to cooperate with the government so we can prosecute those conscience-less people who have only brought you despair and misery. Tell us the details of the names, the places, and the modus operandi of those who illegally recruited you and we will use this information for our police and operatives to do surveillance and entrapment operations and to charge them with illegal recruitment or human trafficking in our courts, she said. She also ordered POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac to beef up the POEAs antiillegal recruitment team and to work double time with the DOLE Regional Coordinating Committee chaired by the DOLE regional directors to ensure that legal requirements and processes are complied with in the filing of cases against the perpetrators of illegal recruitment and human trafficking. Napakababa ang conviction rate natin sa Pilipinas pagdating sa illegal recruitment at human trafficking dahil hindi natin natututukan ang pag-build up ng kaso, she said. Ang pakiusap ko lang, kapag naisampa na natin ang kaso laban sa mga nambiktima sa inyo, huwag kayong umatras, she told the distressed OFWs. Informed by POLO officer-in-charge Welfare Officer Mario Antonio that 30 of the OFWs in the FWRC will be repatriated to the Philippines in the next two weeks, Baldoz instructed the POLO officer to coordinate closely with the Philippine Embassy in Amman, as well as with local authorities in the Jordan labor ministry and immigration, to ensure faster repatriation. Take advantage of the goodwill we have built by our visit and the signing of the Protocol and work with Jordanian authorities to attend to all OFW welfare cases with dispatch, she instructed Antonio. On the other hand, she also instructed OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon, who is with the Philippine delegation, to provide those who will be repatriated with comprehensive reintegration assistance, such as those offered free under the Balik Pinay, Balik Hanapbuhay program. Meanwhile, Undersecretary Danilo Cruz, who accompanied the secretary, warned labor attaches not to verify employment contracts and job orders of employers and foreign placement agencies with derogatory records and those being complained of by run-away OFWs.
January 2012

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abor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said one of the DOLEs thrusts for 2012 is to further strengthen the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES), noting that the program last year effectively served national efforts towards poverty reduction and the preparation of the countrys underprivileged youth for productive employment. Baldoz bared that the 2012 SPES budget of P340,282,000 will benefit 140,000 poor but deserving students all over the country. The amount is higher by P39,034,000, or 13 percent, than the P301,248,000 SPES budget in 2011 which benefited 119,045 SPES babies, as beneficiaries are called. Baldoz pointed out that the 119,045 students placed in short-term jobs during the summer and Christmas breaks in 2011 constitute the highest number of poor students benefited in the history of the SPES, higher by more than onethird over the 77,727 SPES beneficiaries in 2010. The increase in the SPES budget is a promise of the President fulfilled, said Baldoz, who recalled that President Be-

P340.282-M SPES budget will provide short-term work to 140,000 students in 2012
nigno S. Aquino III in 2011 added P168.1 million to the SPES budget and promised to increase it yearly, as the law creating the SPES mandates. Secretary Baldoz, who also sits as the chairman of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) said that the SPES, together with the TESDAs Kasanayan sa Hanapbuhay (KaSH) project, comprises the DOLEs employment bridging assistance for the Filipino youth. TESDAs KaSH allocation for 2012 is P1.344 billion (P1,344,371,000), or 47.1 percent of the agencys P2.854 billion (P2,854,106,000) budget for 2012. The SPES and KaSH are consistent with the goals enunciated by President Aquino III in his Social Contract with the Filipino people, as embodied in the Labor and Employment Plan 2011-2016 and the Philippine Development Plan 20112016 which envision inclusive growth that massively creates local jobs, sustains real economy enterprises, produces decent work outcomes, and empowers our people to rise above poverty. She commended the countrys network of Public Employment Service Offices and employers from both the private and government sectors in partnering with the DOLE in implementing the SPES. The SPES was established in 1992 under Republic Act No. 7323, later amended by RA 9547. The program encourages the employment of poor but deserving students during the summer and/or Christmas vacations, through incentives granted to employers, allowing them to pay 60 percent of their salaries or wages. The other 40 percent is paid through education vouchers issued by the DOLE.

January 2012

Through the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES), the DOLE brings employment and education closer to the Dabawenyo student-beneficiaries in Region 11.

DOLE Good News

of the PESO budget, which amounts to only P20.009 million for 2012. She also said that just like last year, the DOLE will intensify its advocacy for the institutionalization of PESOs in local government units and colleges and universities to make them effective communitybased job facilitation institutions. The labor and employment chief said the PESOs play an important role in the pursuit of President Benigno S. Aquino IIIs 22-point labor and employment agenda the overarching goal of which is invest in our countrys top resource, our human resource, to make us more competitive and employable while promoting industrial peace based on social justice. The PESOs also respond to the goals of the Presidents Social Contract with the Filipino people and the Labor and Employment Plan 2011-2016, as embodied in the Philippine Development Plan 20112016 which envisions inclusive growth that massively creates local jobs, sustains real economy enterprises, produces decent work outcomes, and empowers our people to rise above poverty. Specifically, PESOs are envisioned to help in address(ing) labor-mismatch by promoting better coordination between employers, academia and government in the local levels. This is why strengthening the PESOs and labor market information and exchange institutions will be one of our priorities this year, said Baldoz. She expressed confidence that with stronger and more institutionalized PESOs in the countryside, more job seekers, including fresh graduates and other new entrants to the labor force, will find productive jobs this year. The PESOs were created under Republic Act 8759 and are administered by the DOLE through the BLE, an attached agency. PESOs are linked to DOLE regional offices for coordination and technical supervision in the performance of the PESOs mandate of providing job search assistance services. Under the PESO law employers are encouraged 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 services to job seekers.
January 2012

The countrys corps of PESO officers serve as frontliners in the conduct of jobs fair across all regions.

PESO network helped place 1,108,908 jobseekers in 2011; target is 1.2 million in 2012

abor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said one of the DOLEs thrusts for 2012 is to strengthen further the countrys network of Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) as a frontline institution in job facilitation and delivery of accurate, relevant, and useful labor market information for the network to place 1.2 million jobseekers in 2012, noting that the PESOs were instrumental in placing 1,108,908 jobseekers in all types of jobs--most of them in wage employment- -in the country from January to December 2011. We credit the effective work of our 1,069 PESOs in all 16 regions of the country in elevating to positive the employment performance of the economy in 2011, Baldoz said after receiving the report of the Bureau of Local Employment on the PESOs accomplishments in the year just ended. The report showed that the number of PESO-placed jobseekers constitute 76 percent of the majority of 1,456,926 jobseekers referred for job placement for the one year period. The 1,108,908 jobseekers placed during the year represent a 20.3 percent growth, or 225,595 more job placements, compared to the 883,313 jobseekers the PESO network placed in 2010. Of the

total number of workers placed, almost two-thirds (62.05 percent, or 688,147) found jobs in the private sector and the other third (37.94 percent, or 420,761) in the government sector, Baldoz said. The higher placement rate achieved last year reflect the high-level of confidence that employers from both the private and government sectors repose at the PESOs, she added. In its report, the BLE said all DOLE regional offices have reported high job placements by the PESOs throughout 2011, with the highest placements registered in Region IV-A, with 191,856; followed by Region VI, 173,782; Region III, 129,949; the NCR, 122,300; Region 12, 72,246; CARAGA, 68,241; Region 11, 59,606; Region VII, 57,548; CAR, 53,362; Region IV-B, 40,698; Region X, 40,252; Region I, 35,496; Region V, 22,246; Region 8, 18,634; Region 2, 12,348; and Region 9, 10,344. Baldoz said the DOLEs aim this year is for the PESO network to facilitate the placement of 1.2 million jobseekers. This will be achieved, she said, through the provision of a combination of employment facilitation services that focus on poverty reduction and empowerment of the poor, and through the judicious use

A career in construction is hot, Baldoz says

ne does not need to shell out hefty cash for tuition fees in order to land a high-paying

job. This is the advice of Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz to young high school graduates as she encouraged them to take training courses related to construction. Construction is an industry which has been identified by stakeholders, including the DOLE in its Project JobsFit: DOLE 2020 Vision, as having a tremendous job-generating potential, she said, as the department prepares to intensify its career advocacy program for school year 2012-2013. Citing a report of the DOLEs Bureau of Labor and Employment, Baldoz said Filipinos who are into construction careers earn monthly salary ranging from P13,000 to 40,000 per month. Salaries of construction workers can even go up as high as P50,000 for highly-trained workers. Meanwhile, tuition fees for courses related to construction only cost about P3,000 to P15,000, depending on the duration and type of training, the labor and employment chief explained. In these times when the labor market has gone increasingly competitive, there are many construction-related jobs that pay well and favor experience

and hard work, instead of degrees. Some of these jobs which only require minimum training cost but guarantee a return of high income are CAD operators, electricians, and metal fabrication Technicians, Baldoz added. The BLE reported that some computer schools offer courses on AUTO CAD for 48 to 60 hours at a range of P4,500 to P5,600 training fee. Locally, salaries for a CAD operator at the entry level ranges from P10,000 to P24,000 per month, plus allowances, and other incentives. There are numerous opportunities for CAD operators since architectural and engineering design are now mostly translated into detailed CAD drawings. On the other hand, the training cost for electricians ranges from P3,000 to P5,000 in public technical-vocational schools. Entry level salary for electricians ranges from P8,000-P12,000 per month and may even go up to P15,000 per month for those highly-trained and experienced electricians. Among all occupations in the construction industry, Filipino electricians are highly in-demand whether here or abroad due to their impeccable expertise in electronic wiring and maintenance of equipment, appliances, apparatus, and fixtures. Baldoz also said that high school graduates interested in becoming welders or metal fabrication technicians, who earn a monthly salary of P8,000

up to P20,000, can avail of the Department of Science and TechnologyScience Education Institute Scholarship Grant. In the overseas market, Filipino welders are highly-in-demand and are among the top occupations with the highest recorded deployment in the construction industry. Baldoz also said there are hundreds of other promising construction-related occupations in the labor market as proven in the past years, explaining that technical and vocational training has been a reliable engine for creating opportunities and putting the impossible within reach. Vocational-technical training offers the fastest turnaround from classroom to workplace, from new skills to paychecks, Baldoz noted. Other in-demand occupations within the construction industry which require short term study but provide quick turnout of income are heavy equipment mechanic and operator; computer technician; pipe layer; steam fitter; rigger; machinist; and mason. The BLE has drawn up a Career Guide which provides basic information on the occupations identified in Project JobsFit: The DOLE 2020 Vision. The Career Guide features in-demand jobs/careers viable in the next five to ten years, and describes the basic education requirements of a job, skills and competencies, attributes and characteristics, salary/compensation, prospect for career advancement, employment opportunities and cost of education or training. its Personnel Management Information System and an Attendance Management System. With our additional online systems, we will make most of our data hub and roster of services at hand to our clients. This will enhance more transparency and promote greater accountability geared towards reducing process cycle times, eliminating wide areas of discretion, and eliminating all forms of red tape and graft and corruption as we make the Department closer to the reach of our clients, Baldoz explained.

Baldoz vows more transparency . . . (From page 2)

It will also serve as a database of inspected establishments, monitored cases and corrections on violations, and self-assessment and training advisory visits, regional performance on the LSEF, and reports submitted by all DOLE regional offices. The Registry of Establishments Information System will be the database of all covered establishments, regardless of size and economic activity. The Case Docket and Monitoring System (Phase II) is for improved online monitoring of all labor cases filed at DOLE offices. An internal support system, the Human Resource Information System will consolidate payroll processing, employee profile, monitoring and computation of employee leaves, and facilitate the generation of reports as the need arises. This year, the National Conciliation and Mediation Board will also develop