The Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) in Davao Region bagged three 2020 Secretary’s Bayanihan Awards in the 21st National PESO Congress held last week.
PESO Davao City, PESO Tagum City, and PESO Magsaysay, Davao del Sur emerged victorious among the 49 finalists in the categories of Highly Urbanized City, Component City, and 3rd to 4th Class Municipality, respectively.
In his message, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III emphasized how PESOs remained to be the department’s most trusted ally for more than two decades in delivering its labor and employment programs and services to the people.
“The milestones that we have achieved since the implementation of the first PESO Act of 1999 up to the continuing professionalization of the PESO are what we will be imparting to future generations as we strive for further improvement and growth in the employment sector,” Bello said.
The award was open to all PESOs nationwide who had exceptional and extraordinary contributions resulting in the acquisition of quality and decent employment despite the limitations and restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The search covered the activities conducted by PESOs from March to December 2020.
Finalists to the same award were PESO Davao del Sur Province and PESO Kapalong, Davao del Norte in the 1st Class Province Category and 1st to 2nd Class Municipality Category, respectively.
Meanwhile, PESO Davao Occidental was nominated in the 3rd Class Province Category and Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology in the Job Placement Office category.
Senator Joel Villanueva, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resource Development graced the event as the guest speaker. He commended the PESOs for their unceasing efforts to uplift and transform the lives of the Filipinos by providing decent employment and training and skills development.
This year’s National PESO Congress, with the theme ‘Sama-samang Pagtutulungan Tungo sa Pagbangon ng Bayan,” was held virtually and was streamed live on Facebook.
During the Parade of Regions, Davao Region was represented by DOLE XI OIC-Regional Director Atty. Randolf C. Pensoy, OIC-Assistant Regional Director Jason P. Balais, and PESOMAP Regional President Rogeneth Llanos. (DOLE Region XI) – bny