PARAÑAQUE Rep. Brian Yamsuan yesterday called for the establishment of public offices at the local government level that will partner with the private sector to assist persons with disabilities (PWDs) and senior citizens in finding jobs.
The lawmaker vowed to re-file in the 20th Congress his bill seeking to mandate the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to set up, operate and maintain job facilitation offices for PWDs and senior citizens or Local Centers for Inclusive Employment (LCIEs), saying many PWDs and seniors are struggling to find work due to “discrimination, inadequate training and lack of information on job opportunities.”
“Disabled persons and seniors who are fit to work can become productive members of our economy if given the chance. However, many PWDs and elderly citizens remain poor because they find it difficult to get hired for jobs that suit them,” Yamsuan said.
“Their talent, dedication, and the diligence that they will bring to the workplace will go to waste if they remain jobless. Instead of pitying or ignoring them, we should recognize their capabilities to contribute to our economic growth,” he added.
Yamsuan issued the statement ahead of this year’s celebration of National Disability Rights Week from July 17 to 23.
Under Yamsuan’s bill, which he filed in the previous Congress following extensive consultations conducted with seniors and PWDs, the proposed LCIEs will be established upon the request of the LGUs in capital towns, key cities and other strategic areas across the country.
“Our proposed legislation is in support of the agenda of our President to implement beneficial policies and programs that will guarantee equitable opportunities, special interventions and incentives for PWDs, as well as seniors,” he said.
The lawmaker’s proposal includes a provision that would mandate LCIEs to establish partnerships with employers “who shall regularly submit a list of job vacancies available to PWDs and seniors.”
The LCIEs, which will operate as units under existing Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) in LGUs, “shall also provide PWDs and seniors with sufficient information on employment opportunities, along with the labor market situation in their respective communities.”
Each LCIE is also tasked under the bill to provide seniors and PWDs with relevant information, education and training that they can use in enhancing their skills and employability.
Under the measure, the LCIE shall be linked with the DOLE regional offices for coordination and technical supervision, and to the DOLE Central Office, which will be tasked to “oversee the national employment service network and maintain a computerized PWD and senior citizens manpower registry.”
Yamsuan lamented that despite the enactment of laws that aim to encourage the hiring of PWDs and seniors, government data still shows low labor participation rates in these sectors.
He noted that data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reveal that “only 353,000 PWDs were gainfully employed out of the 1.9 million who are within working age in 2022.” In the same year, only 38.2 percent or about 965,200 of 2.54 million qualified senior citizens were employed.
Yamsuan said a study done by the Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) also found that most PWDs are not even aware that they can seek assistance in finding jobs through existing PESOs.
