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Republic Act No. 761· Enacted 1952-06-20

National Employment Service Philippines — BatasKo ELI5

Libre ang job placement sa Pilipinas. Alamin kung paano ka protektado ng National Employment Service at ang iyong mga karapatan bilang manggagawa.

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Official text — Republic Act No. 761

Jump to section ↓14 sections

Preamble

REPUBLIC ACT No. 761 June 20, 1952

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF A NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT SERVICE

(REPEALED BY

PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 442

)

SECTION 1

SECTION 1.

National Employment Service; Creation of.

- In order to ensure the best possible organization of the employment market as an integral part of the national program for the achievement and maintenance of maximum employment and the development and use of productive resources, there is hereby established a national system of free public employment offices to be known as the National Employment Service, hereinafter referred to as the Service. The Service shall be under the executive supervision and control of the Department of Labor, and shall have a chief who shall be known as the Commissioner of the National Employment Service hereinafter referred to as Commissioner. Said Commissioner shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines with the consent of the Commission on Appointments and shall receive compensation at the rate of nine thousand pesos per annum. A Deputy Commissioner shall also be appointed by the President of the Philippines with the consent of the Commission on Appointments and shall receive compensation at the rate of seven thousand two hundred pesos per annum.

Upon the organization of the Service, the existing Placement Bureau and the existing Employment Office in the Commission of Social Welfare shall be abolished, and all the files, records, supplies, equipment, qualified personnel and unexpended balances of appropriations of said Bureau and Commission pertaining to said bureau or office shall thereupon be transferred to the Service.

The Service shall administer Act Numbered Twenty-four hundred and eighty-six entitled, "An Act fixing a tax upon every person or entity engaged in recruiting or contracting laborers in the Philippines, and amending sub-section (a) of section fifty-three of Act Numbered Twenty-three hundred thirty-nine." The Service shall also administer Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and fifty-seven, entitled, "An Act to regulate the activities of private employment agencies, punish violators hereof and for other purposes." Whenever the phrase "Director of Labor" appears in said Acts, it shall hereafter be taken to read Commissioner of the National Employment Service."

Section 2

Section 2.

Employment Service Advisory Council; Advisory Committees.

- There is hereby established a National Employment Service Advisory Council to advise and assist the Secretary of Labor and the Commissioner in the organization and operation of the Service and in the development of employ-service policy. The Council shall be composed of five technical men whose training and experience in labor problems and associations qualify them as such; two representatives of employers and two representatives of labor and one member who is not openly identified either with labor or employers' groups to be appointed by the Secretary of Labor after consultation with employers' and workers' organizations. Members of the Council shall receive a per diem of ten pesos for every meeting attended but which will not exceed fifty pesos per month and in addition shall be entitled to reimbursement for traveling and other expenses actually incurred in attendance to the duties of the Council. The Commissioner shall make available to the members of the Council the records of the Service.

Upon the recommendation of the Council, the Secretary of Labor may appoint such national, regional, or local employment advisory committees as may be desirable. Each of such committees shall have an equal number of representatives of employers and employees as shall be appointed after consultation with employers' and workers' organizations. Each such committee shall also have one member who shall represent the public interest and act as chairman.

Section 3 — Public employment offices.→

Section 3.

Public employment offices.

- The Commissioner shall establish, reestablish, or move, upon advice of the Council and with the approval of the Secretary of Labor, a headquarters office and district and local public employment offices in such number and in such places as will best promote the purposes of this Act and as may be authorized by law.

Section 4 — General duties and powers.→

Section 4.

General duties and powers.

- Its shall be the duty of the Service -

(a) To provide free placement service for labor of all types;

(b) To collect and analyze, in cooperation with the Bureau of the Census and Statistics and other appropriate public and private agencies, the fullest available information on the employment situation of its probable trends, and to make and disseminate such information systematically available to other public agencies, employers, workers, and the public;

(c) To encourage and assist as necessary other public agencies and private organizations in social and economic planning calculated to ensure a favorable employment situation;

(d) To cooperate in the administration of such employment insurance or assistance schemes and such other measures as may be established for the relief of the unemployed;

(e) To make continuous and special studies on the various aspects of the organization of the employment market and recommend measures for preventing or remedying unemployment and underemployment;

(f) To assist the transfer of workers or settlers from one place to another;

(g) To prepare an annual report of its activities with special emphasis on the number of applicants who had obtained employment through the Service in relation to the number of applicants that had registered with the Service; and

(h) To perform such other duties as may be assigned to it by law.

The Commissioner shall have the power to require any person, organization, or institution to submit information or employment reports in such form and containing such particulars as he may, by rule or regulation, prescribe.

The Commissioner, with the approval of the Secretary of Labor, shall have the power to make, amend, and rescind such rules and regulations and orders as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act.

Section 5 — Placement and recruitment.→

Section 5.

Placement and recruitment.

- To ensure effective placement and recruitment, the Service shall -

(a) assist workers to obtain suitable employment and assist employers to obtain suitable workers and shall for this purpose -

(1) register applicants for employment, take note of their occupational qualifications, experience, and desires, and interview them for employment and evaluate, if necessary, their physical and vocational capacity and assist them, when appropriate, to obtain vocational guidance or vocational training or re-training.

(2) obtain from employers precise information on vacancies and the requirements to be met by the workers sought by them;

(3) refer to available employment applicants with suitable skills and physical capacity; and

(4) refer applicants and vacancies from one employment office to another, in cases in which the applicants cannot suitably be placed or the vacancies suitably filled by the original office or in which other circumstances warrant such action: Provided, That, the Service shall observe strict neutrality in case of employment available as a result of an industrial dispute and shall not discriminate under existing laws against any applicant on account of race, color, sex, or belief: Provided, further, That the Service shall not refer workers to employment in respect to which the wages or other conditions of work below the standards prescribed by law or prevailing practice;

(b) take appropriate measures -

(1) to facilitate occupational and industrial mobility with a view to adjusting the supply of labor to the employment opportunities in various occupations and industries;

(2) to facilitate geographic mobility with a view to assisting the movement of the workers of settlers to areas with suitable employment opportunities;

(3) to facilitate the temporary transfer of workers or settlers from one area to another to meet temporary maladjustments in labor demand and supply; and

(4) to facilitate any movement of workers from or to another country which may have been approved by the foreign governments concerned;

(c) develop within the various employment offices specialization by occupations and by industries, whenever the character or importance of any industry or occupation or other special factors require such specialization; and

(d) provide adequate arrangements for the placement of veterans, women, juveniles, and disabled persons.

The Service will furnish all government entities, including government-owned or government-controlled corporations that hire laborers all such information, data or statistics that the Service will have compiled.

Section 6 — Employment counselling and testing.→

Section 6.

Employment counselling and testing.

- The Service shall establish an employment counselling and testing service for the purpose of giving assistance to any person who may require aid in choosing an occupation or in changing his occupation, or of promoting the vocational readjustment of any person who may require such assistance. Employment counselling and testing shall be organized in close relation with -

(a) all other activities of the Service;

(b) other vocational guidance services;

(c) educational and training institutions;

(d) the administration of training and re-training program; and

(e) rehabilitation services for disabled persons.

The Service shall take all appropriate measures to extend the facilities of employment counselling and testing in the case of -

(a) persons entering employment for the first time;

(b) persons unemployed for a long period;

(c) persons unemployed or likely to be employed as a result of declining industries or changes in the technique, structure, or location of an industry;

(d) persons living in rural areas who comprise surplus manpower in the light of current or prospective employment opportunities; and

(e) persons desiring to benefit from public facilities, vocational training and readjustment.

The Service shall, where appropriate, assist such persons to obtain vocational training or re-training.

Show 7 more sections +→
Section 7 — Transfer of workers.→

Section 7.

Transfer of workers.

- The Service shall take all proper legal steps to remove economic barriers to the transfer of workers. It may extend financial assistance by way of loan, in the case transfer of workers which it deems necessary, particularly where no other arrangements exist for the payment other than by workers of the expenses involved in such transfer.

The Service may arrange for the payment of the expenses of the transfer of workers by the employer upon whose application such workers are being recruited. If any employer who applies for workers engages other workers before the person or persons recruited by the Secretary can reach the place of employment, such person or persons shall be entitled to reimbursement from the employer for the traveling expenses incurred by them, including the expenses for the return journey.

The Service shall furnish applicants for employment and workers generally the fullest and most reliable information concerning employment opportunities and working conditions in other areas and concerning the living conditions, including availability of suitable housing accommodations, in such areas. When the Commissioner finds that there is a surplus of any type of labor in any area or that there is a shortage of suitable housing accommodations in any area, he shall cause that fact to be published and shall take appropriate measures to discourage the migration of job seekers to such area until the situation is remedied.

Section 8 — Employment market information and analysis.→

Section 8.

Employment market information and analysis.

- The Service shall collect and disseminate such detailed information on the situation of the employment market as may be useful to other public agencies in social and economic planning and to employers in organizing productive enterprises. Such information shall contain material pertaining to -

(a) the current and prospective labor requirements classified according to agricultural, industrial needs, including the number and type of workers needed, classified on an agricultural, industrial, occupational or regional basis; and

(b) the current and prospective labor supply, including details as to the number, sex, skills, occupations, industries, areas of residence of the workers, of the number, location, and characteristics of applicants for employment.

The Service shall, on the basis of the information in its possession, cooperate with other public agencies in the formation, coordination and application of policy in regard to -

(a) the distribution of industry;

(b) public works and public investments;

(c) technological progress in relation to production and employment;

(d) migration;

(e) housing; and

(f) general community organization and planning affecting availability of employment.

The Service shall, as soon as practicable, and in cooperation with other public agencies, draw up annually a manpower budget as a part of the general economic survey, which shall include detailed material concerning the anticipated volume and distribution of labor demand and supply.

Section 9 — Penalty.→

Section 9.

Penalty.

- Any person who shall violate the provisions of this Act or any rule or regulation promulgated hereunder shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred pesos nor more than one thousand pesos or by imprisonment for not less than thirty days nor more than six months, or by both, such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court.

Section 10 — Staffing and training.→

Section 10.

Staffing and training.

- (a) The Commissioner shall appoint, subject to civil service rules, such staff members as may be necessary and proper to carry out the provisions of this Act.

(b) The staff shall be composed of public officials whose status and conditions of service are such that they are independent of changes of government and of improper external influences, and recruited with sole regard to their qualifications for the performance of their duties, that such qualifications shall be determined by competent authority, that such persons shall be free from political domination and influence, and that, subject to the needs of the service, they shall be assured of stability of employment in keeping with the highest standards of personnel administration.

(c) No person shall be appointed to any office or to any technical or professional position in the Service unless he has had adequate training for the performance of the duties of such office or position.

The Commissioner shall, immediately after assuming his duties, organize a special training course for applicants to offices and technical or professional positions in the Service, who may be appointed to such offices or positions upon qualifying in a civil service examination to be given at the end of such course.

The Commissioner shall also establish a permanent training program for members of the staff of the Service: Provided, That the said special training course for applicants to offices and technical or professional positions in the Service and the permanent training program shall be open to all who may desire to enroll in such training.

Section 11 — Separability.→

Section 11.

Separability.

- If any provision of this Act or the application of such provision to any person or circumstance shall be held invalid, the remainder of this Act, or the application of such provision to persons or circumstances other than those as to which it is held invalid, shall not be affected thereby.

Section 12 — Appropriations.→

Section 12.

Appropriations.

- To carry out the purpose of this Act, the sum of four hundred fifty thousand pesos or so much thereof as may be necessary, hereby authorized to be appropriated out of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated.

Section 13 — Effectivity.→

Section 13.

Effectivity.

- This Act shall take effect on its approval.

Approved:

June 20, 1952

The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation

Full text on BatasKo. Original source: Official Gazette / Lawphil.

Imagine This

Naghahanap ka ng trabaho. May na-post kang resume online, nagpadala ng application sa iba't ibang kumpanya — tapos may lumapit sa iyo na nagse-charge ng placement fee bago ka pa man ma-hire. "Normal 'yan," sabi nila.

Hindi. Hindi normal 'yan. At matagal na itong labag sa batas.

ELI5 Summary: Mula pa noong 1952, ang Pilipinas ay may batas na nagtatayo ng libreng job placement service para sa lahat ng Pilipino. Hindi ka dapat magbayad para mahanap ng gobyerno ng trabaho para sa iyo. Ang Republic Act No. 761 ang nagtatag ng National Employment Service — ang pundasyon ng sistema ngayon na kilala bilang PESO (Public Employment Service Office) sa bawat lungsod at lalawigan sa buong bansa.

Real Filipino Scenario: Ang Engineer na Hindi Dapat Nagbayad

Si Corazon, 28, ay isang civil engineer mula Olongapo na bagong nagpasa ng board exam. Excited siyang mag-apply sa mga construction firm sa Metro Manila, kaya't pumunta siya sa isang private recruiter na nag-advertise ng "guaranteed placement" para sa mga engineers.

Humingi ang recruiter ng ₱5,000 na "processing fee" bago i-refer si Corazon sa kahit isang employer.

Ang hindi alam ni Corazon: may PESO (Public Employment Service Office) mismo sa Olongapo City Hall. Libre ang laggregister doon. Libre ang referral sa mga employer. Libre ang job matching. Ang PESO ang modernong pagpapatuloy ng National Employment Service na itinayo ng RA 761.

Ano ang dapat gawin ni Corazon:

  1. Pumunta sa PESO ng Olongapo City (karaniwang nasa City Hall o sa DOLE provincial office)
  2. Mag-register bilang job seeker — libre ito
  3. I-submit ang kanyang resume at board exam results para sa job matching
  4. Huwag magbayad ng kahit na anong placement fee sa gobyernong employment office

What the Law Actually Says

Itinayo ng RA 761 ang National Employment Service noong Hunyo 20, 1952, sa ilalim ng Department of Labor.

Ang layunin, ayon sa Section 1: "to ensure the best possible organization of the employment market as an integral part of the national program for the achievement and maintenance of maximum employment."

Sa madaling salita — gusto ng batas na walang Pilipino na walang trabaho dahil lang walang paraan para makahanap ng isa.

Section 4(a) nito ay malinaw: ang serbisyong ito ay nagbibigay ng libre (free) na placement service para sa lahat ng uri ng trabaho.

Section 5(a) ang nagdedetalye kung paano:

  • Irerehistro ka bilang job applicant
  • Itatala ang iyong mga kasanayan, karanasan, at kagustuhan
  • Ire-refer ka sa mga employer na may angkop na bakante para sa iyo
  • Hindi ka i-refer sa trabahong ang sahod o kondisyon ay mas mababa sa itinakda ng batas

Mahalagang tandaan: Ang RA 761 ay na-repeal ng Presidential Decree No. 442 (ang Labor Code ng Pilipinas) noong 1974. Pero hindi ito nangangahulugang wala na ang proteksyon. Ang Labor Code ang pumalit at nagpatuloy ng lahat ng prinsipyo ng RA 761 — at ngayon, ang DOLE at ang network ng PESO offices sa buong bansa ang nagpapatakbo ng sistema.

Section 5(a)(4) pa nito ay nagtatakda ng mahalagang alituntunin: ang employment service ay hindi maaaring mag-discriminate ng applicant batay sa lahi, kulay, kasarian, o paniniwala (race, color, sex, or belief).

What This Means for You

Kung ikaw ay naghahanap ng trabaho sa Pilipinas, mayroon kang karapatan sa libreng tulong ng gobyerno para mahanap ang trabahong angkop sa iyo.

Ang bawat lungsod at munisipalidad sa buong Pilipinas ay dapat may PESO — Public Employment Service Office. Ito ang kinatawan ng National Employment Service sa iyong lugar.

Ang PESO ay dapat:

  • Libreng irehistro ang iyong application
  • Libreng i-match ka sa mga employer na may bakante
  • Libreng i-refer ka sa training kung kailangan mo ng dagdag na kasanayan
  • Hindi ka i-refer sa trabaho kung ang sahod ay mas mababa sa minimum wage

At kung ikaw ay employer — maaari ka ring libre na mag-post ng bakante sa PESO at hanapin ang manggagawang angkop sa iyong negosyo.

Real Filipino Scenario: Ang Jeepney Driver na Nag-retiro

Si Cherry, 52, ay isang jeepney driver sa Tarlac City na sapilitan na nagretiro dahil sa EDSA consolidation ng mga ruta. Gusto niyang mag-shift ng career — siguro sa logistics o kahit helper sa isang bodega.

Pero dahil matagal siyang sariling-sikap, hindi niya alam na may PESO sa Tarlac City.

Narinig niyang kailangan daw ng "referral letter" at mayroon daw bayad para sa older applicants. Nagtampo si Cherry — akala niya para lang sa mga bata ang employment service.

Ang totoo: Walang age limit sa pag-register sa PESO. Walang bayad. At ang PESO ay may espesyal na programa para sa displaced workers tulad ni Cherry na nawalan ng trabaho dahil sa policy changes o restructuring ng industriya.

Ano ang dapat gawin ni Cherry:

  1. Pumunta sa PESO ng Tarlac City — walang bayad, walang age limit
  2. Sabihin na siya ay "displaced worker" para makuha ang priority assistance
  3. Tanungin ang available na livelihood at skills training programs ng DOLE na kasamang libre
  4. Huwag maniwala sa sinumang nagsasabing may bayad ang gobyernong job placement

What Most Filipinos Get Wrong

"Ang PESO ay para lang sa mga fresh graduates."

Mali. Ang employment service ay para sa lahat ng uri ng manggagawa — skilled, unskilled, professional, senior, displaced, first-time jobseeker. RA 761 ay malinaw: "labor of all types."

"Ang private recruitment agency ay mas mabilis, kaya worth it ang bayad."

Para sa lokal na trabaho sa Pilipinas, ang placement fee mula sa mga applicant ay labag sa batas sa karamihang sitwasyon. Ang employer ang dapat magbayad ng recruitment cost, hindi ikaw.

"Ang gobyernong job placement ay walang magandang alok."

Maraming malaking kumpanya ang nag-po-post ng bakante sa PESO dahil libre ito para sa employer at maraming qualified applicants ang nakalagay doon. Hindi ito palayaw lang.

"Repealed na ang batas, kaya wala nang serbisyo." Ang RA 761 ay na-repeal ng Labor Code, pero ang prinsipyo at ang serbisyo ay nanatili at lumago. Ang PESO network ay itinayo ng Republic Act No. 8759 (PESO Act of 1999) — mas bago at mas komprehensibo.

Para sa OFW / For OFWs

Ang RA 761 ay itinayo para sa domestic employment sa Pilipinas. Pero kung ikaw ay OFW o planong maging OFW, naiimpluwensyahan ka ng isa sa mga prinsipyong nagsimula rito — ang karapatang huwag magbayad ng sobrang recruitment fee.

Para sa mga OFW na papunta sa ibang bansa:

Ang overseas recruitment ay pinamamahalaan ng DMW (Department of Migrant Workers) — dating POEA. Ang mga recruiter na nagpapadala ng manggagawa sa ibang bansa ay dapat lisensyado ng DMW, at ang placement fee ay may limitasyon na itinakda ng batas.

Kung hinihingan ka ng malaking bayad ng isang recruiter bago ka pa man maka-alis ng Pilipinas, ito ay red flag na maaaring illegal recruitment.

Para sa mga OFW na nandoon na sa ibang bansa at nais mag-transfer ng trabaho:

  1. Makipag-ugnayan sa POLO/MWO (Philippine Overseas Labor Office / Migrant Workers Office) sa bansang kinaroroonan mo — libre ang kanilang job matching at assistance
  2. Ang POLO/MWO ay available sa mga bansang may malaking komunidad ng OFW tulad ng Saudi Arabia, UAE, Hong Kong, Singapore, at marami pa
  3. Huwag umasa sa mga unlisensyadong recruiter kahit nasa ibang bansa ka na — maaaring ito ay human trafficking

Para sa mga OFW na babalik na sa Pilipinas:

Ang OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) ay may livelihood at reintegration programs para sa mga returning OFW. At ang PESO ay available din sa inyong probinsya para tulungan kayong mahanap ng trabaho dito.

Makipag-ugnayan sa:

  • DMW hotline: 1348
  • OWWA: 1348 (same hotline)
  • POLO/MWO: sa website ng DMW (dmw.gov.ph) para sa listahan ng opisina sa bawat bansa

Real Filipino Scenario: Ang Caregiver sa Canada

Si Mario, 41, ay isang live-in caregiver sa Toronto, Canada. Matagal na siyang nakadiyan under ng Canada's Home Child Care Provider Pilot program. Nais na niyang bumalik sa Pilipinas pagkatapos ng dalawang taon — pero gusto rin niyang malaman kung may trabaho siyang babalikan.

Narinig niya na may placement fee daw kung gagamitin ang PESO — kasi "OFW ka, ibang trato."

Ang totoo: Kapag bumalik si Mario sa Pilipinas, parehong pantay ang kanyang karapatan sa PESO services tulad ng sinumang mamamayan. Walang bayad. Walang dagdag na processing para sa mga returning OFW.

Pero habang nasa Canada pa si Mario, mas kapaki-pakinabang para sa kanya ang:

  1. POLO/MWO Ottawa — para sa mga isyu sa kanyang kasalukuyang kontrata o employer
  2. OWWA reintegration programs — pwedeng i-apply online kahit nasa Canada pa siya
  3. Pagbabalik niya, pumunta sa PESO ng kanyang probinsya na may dalang dokumentasyon ng kanyang karanasan sa Canada — makakatulong ito sa job matching

Ano ang dapat gawin ni Mario bago umuwi:

  1. I-contact ang POLO/MWO Ottawa para sa clearance at reintegration briefing
  2. Mag-apply online sa OWWA reintegration program
  3. I-update ang kanyang resume at ipadala ang digital copy sa PESO ng kanyang probinsya bago pa siya umuwi
  4. Kapag nasa Pilipinas na, personal na pumunta sa PESO — libre ang lahat

What to Do if Your Rights Are Violated

Kung hinihingan ka ng bayad ng isang gobyernong employment office:

  1. Huwag magbayad. Ang placement service ng gobyerno ay libre ayon sa batas.
  2. Kumuha ng patunay — itala ang pangalan ng tao, ang opisina, at ang halagang hiningi.
  3. Mag-file ng reklamo sa DOLE — pumunta sa pinakamalapit na DOLE Regional Office o tumawag sa DOLE hotline: 1349.
  4. Mag-reklamo sa CSC (Civil Service Commission) kung ang nag-charge ay gobyernong empleyado — pwedeng ma-administratively charged.

Kung isang private recruiter ang nag-charge ng placement fee para sa lokal na trabaho:

  1. Itanong ang lisensya ng recruiter — may karapatang malaman ito.
  2. I-report sa DOLE ang illegal collection ng placement fees.
  3. Para sa overseas recruitment scams, i-report sa DMW sa 1348.

Para sa mga employer na nais mag-post ng bakante:

  1. Pumunta sa PESO ng inyong lungsod o munisipalidad.
  2. Libre ang pag-post ng bakante.
  3. Maaari rin mag-post online sa Phil-JobNet (philrice.gov.ph) — ang online portal ng DOLE para sa job matching.

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Legal disclaimer: BatasKo provides general legal information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, consult a licensed Filipino lawyer or the Public Attorney's Office (PAO).

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