Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 510

Introduced by Representative Jaime R. Fresnedi

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill seeks to address the problem of employability and competitiveness of K to 12
graduates. It proposes to create a tripartite council to address the disconnect between the products
of our basic education system and the needs of the industry or the labor market.

Through the ten years that the K to 12 Program was implemented, it has been reported that
many employers still prefer jumpstarting the careers of college graduates, rather than hiring those
who finished the Senior High School (SHS) program. This is evidenced by a study made by the
Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), wherein only 14 out of 70 of the top companies in the
country would hire SHS graduates. According to the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and
Industry's Human Resources Development Foundation, Inc. (PCCI HRDF), the hesitation to hire
SHS graduates may be due to the fact they still lack the adequate skills and sufficient training that
should have been provided by the K to 12 Program.' In a separate study conducted by the
Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS) in 2020, an alarming rate of only 20% of these
fresh graduates were able to join the workforce immediately, while 70% went on to continue their
way through college”

Clearly, a link seems to be missing between how we teach and develop our basic education
learners. Therefore, the creation of the Tripartite Council is critical. The Council shall primarily
monitor all matters concerning employment, unemployment, underemployment, jobs-skills
mismatch and all labor market trends. The Council shall also be mandated with the formulation of
policies and programs to address these issues.

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

JAIME NEDI
Representative
Lone District, Muntinlupa City

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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 510

Introduced by Representative Jaime R. Fresnedi

AN ACT
TO ENHANCE THE EMPLOYABILITY AND COMPETITIVENESS OF K TO 12
GRADUATES THROUGH THE CREATION OF A TRIPARTITE COUNCIL,
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION ONE. Short Title. ~ This Act shall be known as the “Education and
Employment Tripartite Council Act.”

Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is declared the policy of the State to promote the
sustained development of a skilled citizenry and maintain a reservoir of nationa talents
consisting of Filipino scientists, entrepreneurs, professionals, managers, high-level technical
manpower, and skilled workers and craftsmen in all fields. Skills development can reduce
unemployment and underemployment, increase productivity, and improve the standards of
living.

To this end, the State shall ensure the relevance and adequacy of academic courses in
the higher education curriculum and training programs offered in technical-vocational
institutions in relation to the needs and requirements of the business and industry sectors and
the overall human resource requirement of the country pursuant to its economic development
goals.

Sec. 3. Creation of a Tripartite Council. - There is hereby established a Tripartite
Council, hereinafter referred to as the Council, that shall formulate policies and programs to
address the job-skills mismatch in the country. It shall be a coordinating body among the
government, academe and industry sectors to primarily monitor economic trends in the global
and domestic markets, including those pertaining to business and commerce and the local labor
market, and to generate information relative to employment, unemployment,
underemployment, and job-skills mismatch. The Council shall be made up of representatives
from the government, academe, and industry.

The government representatives shall be composed of the following: a Commissioner
of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED); a Deputy Director-General of the Technical


Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); an Undersecretary of the Department
of Education (DepEd); an Undersecretary of the Department of Labor and Employment
(DOLE); and an Undersecretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The representatives of the academe shall be the presidents of the federations of public
and private higher education institutions (HEIs), public and private technical-vocational
institutions (TVIs), and accreditation bodies of higher and technical-vocational educational
institutions, which include the following: Philippine Association of State Universities and
Colleges; Association of Local Colleges and Universities; Coordinating Council of Private
Educational Associations; Technical-Vocational Schools and Associations of the Philippines;
National Network of Quality Assurance Agencies; and the Federation of Accrediting Agencies
of the Philippines.

The representatives of the industry sector shall be the presidents of the following
business and industry federations: Employers Confederation of the Philippines; Makati
Business Club; Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation,
Incorporated; Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines;
Philippine Business for Education; Management Association of the Philippines; Philippine
Business for Social Progress; and the People Management Association of the Philippines.

The Council shall be headed by a CHED Commissioner as Chairperson, and the Deputy
Director-General of the TESDA shall be its Vice-Chairperson.

The members of the Council, except for the ex officio members, shall receive per diem
for every meeting attended in accordance with existing rules and regulations.

The Council shall be attached to the CHED for administrative and budgetary purposes.

The CHED shall provide a secretariat to the Council to be manned by the organic
personnel of the CHED and may be augmented by the employees from the member-agencies
of the Council through detail or secondment.

Sec. 4. Powers and Functions of the Council. ~ The Council shall have the following
specific powers and functions:

Monitor the trends in the labor market, both domestic and international, and the
incidence of unemployment, underemployment and the job-skills mismatch problem in
the country;

a)

b) Formulate short-term and long-term policies, plans and programs that shall address job-
skills mismatch, unemployment, and underemployment;

Conduct an inventory, review and evaluation of courses, academic programs and
curricula of public and private HEls and training programs implemented by TVs;

c

d) Conduct an assessment of qualifications, skills and competencies of students and
graduates of higher education courses and technical-vocational education and training

and benchmark these with national and international standards such as the Philippine


Qualifications Framework, Association of Southeast Asian Nations Qualifications
Reference Framework, other frameworks, and international agreements to which the
Philippines is a signatory:

e)

Conduct an inventory of job specifications and skills requirement of various industries;

f) Recommend to the President of the Philippines, Congress and other government
institutions policy measures that need to be undertaken in addressing the problems of
unemployment, underemployment and job-skills mismatch;

g) Hold regular quarterly meetings; and

h

Perform such other functions as may be necessary for its effective operation to achieve
the mandate of this Act.

Sec. 5. Annual Report and Assessment. ~ Upon effectivity of this Act, the Council shall
submit an annual report to Congress on the status of employment of college students and new
graduates for the last five years, as well as an assessment of the trends in the labor market and
the skills required by various industries and business establishments

Sec. 6. Appropriations. —‘The amount necessary for the implementation of this Act shall
be included in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Sec. 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within ninety (90) days after the
effectivity of this Act, the CHED shall, in coordination with the TESDA, DepEd, DTI and
DOLE, as well as other education stakeholders, issue the rules and regulations for the effective
implementation of this Act.

Sec. 8. Separability Clause. ~ If, for any reason, any portion or provision of this Act
shall be held unconstitutional or invalid, the remaining provisions not affected thereby shall
continue to be in full force and effect.

Sec. 9. Repealing Clause. — All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules and
regulations, issuances or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act,
are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.

Sec. 10, Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,