ILOILO – The Public Employment Service Office (PESO) of three local government units (LGUs) in this province and that of Iloilo City were regional winners in the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 6 Secretary’s Bayanihan Service Award 2022.
Here are the winners:
* First class municipal category – PESO Oton
* Third class municipal category – PESO Barotac Viejo
* Component city category – PESO Passi City
* Highly urbanized city category – PESO Iloilo City
The awarding ceremony was held during the 5th Regional PESO and JPO (job placement officers) Congress of DOLE-6 in Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan on Sept. 21.
The winning LGUs received plaques of recognition and certificates of entitlement worth P1 million in livelihood projects.
They will also represent Western Visayas at the national level of the Secretary’s Bayanihan Award 2022.
According to Francisco Heler Jr., PESO-Iloilo province head, the winners were chosen based on their accomplishments or initiatives in 2021 in terms of innovation, resilience and humanitarian services.
Under innovation, an LGU-PESO must create initiatives to provide employment for retrenched, unemployed or displaced individuals, among others.
Under resilience are initiatives undertaken to maintain the same number of qualified jobseekers and job placements.
Under humanitarian services are initiatives conducted outside mandated work, like putting up a community pantry, extending help in contact tracing, assistance to the families affected by granular lockdowns, and assisting stranded overseas Filipino workers.
LGU-BAROTAC VIEJO THANKFUL
Mayor Nielo Bongbong” Tupas thanked DOLE-6 for acknowledging the efforts of Barotac Viejo-PESO headed by Eva Causing.
According to Tupas, some of the initiatives of the Barotac Viejo-PESO under the innovation category were the emergency employment programs for Barotacnons.
For resilience, they focused on being able to bounce back despite challenges such as the pandemic.
They utilized social media platforms, conducted job fairs, and initiated other programs, projects, and activities even amid social distancing protocols and strict pandemic countermeasures.
In the area of humanitarian services, there is the participation of PESO in the Municipal Inter-Agency Task Force COVID Task Force, also becoming the repatriated overseas Filipino workers’ focal office and other related tasks and delegations.
Moreover, the Barotac Viejo-PESO plans to utilize the certificate of entitlement for P1 million worth of livelihood projects for marginalized sectors in their community.
“Rest-assured that inspired by this Bayanihan Service Award, LGU Barotac Viejo is committed and will continue to deliver innovative humanitarian services through our PESO headed by Mrs. Eva Causing,” said Tupas./PN