ILOILO – Local employment offices in barangay levels could be utilized as effective instruments against illegal recruitment, according to Public Employment Services Office (PESO) head Francisco Heler.
Heler urged local government units in this province to put up PESO in villages to protect job seekers against illegal recruiters and with employment information dissemination.
The PESO-Iloilo chief noted that 20 out of 43 LGUs have already established its village PESO. This means that 756 villages have yet to create their local employment offices.
“May yara na kami nga 20 municipalities siguro equivalent to 965 barangays and still we are expecting that there are still municipal PESOs nga naga-organisa sang Barangay PESO,” said Heler.
He said some of the villages are at risk of being victimized by illegal recruiters since “people in the barangay want employment because they want to work abroad for a higher salary.”
“The huge help of the village PESO is to cascade the information on employment to the village level. They will help the municipal PESO cover all the villages in their locality,” he added.
Heler also cited the function of Barangay PESO which includes employment facilitation; employment protection; referral and placement; career guidance coaching; and local market information.
Heler, however, said that Barangay PESO chiefs currently not receiving honorariums.
“Kon makita nga may performance kag daku ang impact or bulig sang Barangay PESO ti puede na kita kapangayo sang insintibo sa future,” he added./PN
