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Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
Nineteenth Congress 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _____ 
Introduced by Representative Rudys Caesar G. Fariñas I 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This bill acknowledges the duty of the State to promote the sustained 
development of a skilled citizenry and maintain a reservoir of national talent. 
Skills development can reduce unemployment and underemployment, increase 
productivity, and improve living standards. This bill emphasizes the necessity to 
ensure the relevance and adequacy of academic courses in the higher education 
curriculum and training programs offered in technical-vocational institutions. 
This bill establishes a Tripartite Council that shall formulate policies and 
programs to address the job-skills mismatch in the country. The Council shall 
be a coordinating body among the government, academia, and industry sectors 
to primarily monitor economic trends in the global and domestic markets. In 
addition, the Council is an attached agency to the Commission on Higher 
Education (CHED) for administrative and budgetary purposes.  
Furthermore, the Council shall issue its annual report containing the 
employment status of college students and new graduates, as well as an 
assessment of the trends in the labor market and the skills required by the 
various industries. 
Hence, this representation seeks the passage of this measure. 
RUDYS CAESAR G. FARIÑAS I 
November 21, 2022
3:39 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
Nineteenth Congress 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _____ 
Introduced by Representative Rudys Caesar G. Fariñas I 
     AN ACT  
CREATING A TRIPARTITE COUNCIL TO ADDRESS THE JOB-SKILLS 
MISMATCH, UNEMPLOYMENT, AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT IN THE 
COUNTRY, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:     
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SECTION 1.  Declaration of Policy. – It is declared the policy of the State 
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to promote the sustained development of a skilled citizenry and maintain a   
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reservoir of national talents consisting of Filipino scientists, entrepreneurs, 
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professionals, managers, high-level technical manpower, and skilled workers 
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and craftsmen in all fields.  Skills development can reduce unemployment and 
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underemployment, increase productivity, and improve the standards of living. 
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To this end, the State shall ensure the relevance and adequacy of academic 
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courses   in the higher education curriculum and training programs offered in 
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technical-vocational institutions in relation to the needs and requirements of the 
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business and industry sectors and the over-all human resource requirement of 
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the country pursuant to its economic development goals.  
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SEC. 2. Creation of a Tripartite Council. -  There is hereby established a 
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Tripartite Council, hereinafter referred to as the Council, that shall formulate 
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policies and programs to address the job-skills mismatch in the country. It shall 
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be a coordinating body among the government, academe and industry sectors to 
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primarily monitor economic trends in the global and domestic markets, including 
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those pertaining to business and commerce and the local labor market, and to 
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generate information relative to employment, unemployment, underemployment, 
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and job-skills mismatch.    
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The Council shall be attached to the Commission on Higher Education 
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(CHED) for administrative and budgetary purposes. 
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The Council shall be chaired by a CHED Commissioner while the Technical 
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Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Deputy Director-General 
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shall sit as Vice Chairperson. Its members shall be composed of representatives 
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from the government, academe and industry sectors.   
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The government representatives shall be composed of the following: CHED 
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Commissioners; Deputy Director-General of the TESDA; and Undersecretaries of 
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the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Labor and Employment 
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(DOLE) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).  
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The representatives of the academe shall be the presidents of the 
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federations of public and private higher education institutions (HEIs), public and 
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private technical-vocational institutions (TVIs), and accreditation bodies of 
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higher and technical-vocational educational institutions, which include the 
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following: Philippine Association of State Colleges and Universities; Association 
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of Local Colleges and Universities; Coordinating Council of Private Educational 
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Associations; Technical-Vocational Schools and Associations of the Philippines; 
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National Network of Quality Assurance Agencies; and the Federation of 
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Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines,  among others. 
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The representatives of the industry sector shall be the presidents of 
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the following business and industry federations: Employers Confederation of the 
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Philippines; Makati Business Club; Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in 
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the Philippines Foundation, Incorporated; Information Technology and Business 
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Process Association of the Philippines; Philippine Business for Education; and 
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the People Management Association of the Philippines. 
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The members of the Council, except for the ex officio members, shall 
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receive per diem every meeting in accordance with existing rules and regulations.  
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The CHED shall provide a secretariat to the Council to be manned by the 
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organic personnel of the CHED and may be augmented by the employees from 
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the member-agencies of the Council through detail or secondment. 
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SEC. 3.   Powers and Functions of the Council. – The Council shall have 
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the following specific powers and functions: 
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a) 
Monitor the trends in the labor market, both domestic and 
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international, and the issues surrounding it, such as unemployment, 
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underemployment and job-skills mismatch in the country; 
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b) 
Formulate and implement short-term and long-term policies, plans 
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and programs that shall address job-skills mismatch, unemployment, and 
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underemployment; 
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c) 
Conduct an inventory, review and evaluation of courses, academic 
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programs and curricula of public and private HEIs and training programs 
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in TVIs; 
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d) 
Conduct an assessment of qualifications, skills and competencies of 
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students and graduates of higher education courses and  technical-
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vocational education and training or TVET; 
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e) 
Conduct an inventory of job specifications and skills requirement of 
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various industries;  
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f) 
Recommend to the President of the Philippines, Congress and other 
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government institutions policy measures that need to be undertaken in 
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addressing the problems of unemployment,  underemployment and job-
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skills mismatch;  
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g) 
Hold regular quarterly meetings; and 
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h) 
Perform such other functions as may be necessary for its effective 
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operation to achieve the mandate of this Act. 
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SEC. 4. Annual Report and Assessment. – The Council shall issue its 
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annual report containing the status of employment of college students and new 
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graduates, as well as an assessment  of the trends in the labor market and the 
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skills required by the various industries and business establishments. 
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SEC. 5. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the implementation 
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of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
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SEC. 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days 
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after the effectivity of this Act, the CHED shall, in coordination with the TESDA, 
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DepEd, DTI and DOLE, as well as other education stakeholders, issue the 
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necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.  
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SEC. 7.  Separability Clause. - If, for any reason, any portion or provision 
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of this Act shall be held unconstitutional or invalid, the remaining provisions not 
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affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.  
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SEC. 8.  Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, executive 
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orders, rules and regulations, issuances or parts thereof, which are inconsistent 
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with the provisions of this Act, are hereby repealed, amended or modified 
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accordingly. 
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SEC.  9.  Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
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publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.   
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Approved, 
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