Legarda to 2013 Graduates: Explore More Options in Job-Searching

March 12, 2013

Senator Loren Legarda urged college graduates to explore more options in searching for work opportunities, stressing that the government has various programs and agencies that can help those seeking for employment.

Legarda said that while the government is seeking for ways to generate more jobs, college graduates should explore other available options in the government, such as those provided for by Public Employment Service Offices (PESO), that could help them land a job.

“Public Employment Service Offices, which every local government unit must have, serve as information centers where job seekers can ask about available employment opportunities and services offered by the Department of Labor and Employment and other labor-related agencies,” she explained.

“Furthermore, PESO officers should take a more proactive role of being local employment policy advisers, employment creation managers, and training managers,” she added.

Legarda, co-author of Republic Act 8759 or the Public Employment Service Office Act of 1999, said that PESOs are tasked to urge employers and business owners to inform them about job vacancies, which they can offer to job seekers.

Every PESO should also undertake programs such as job fairs, livelihood bazaars, and other similar activities.

“Our graduates, armed with their diplomas and the knowledge and experience they have gained in the years they have spent in school, aside from applying directly to companies, should also visit the PESO in their areas since these offices can offer them not only employment opportunities but also information on how to get the job that they want,” Legarda said.***