Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE 0F REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
NINETEENTII CONGRESS
First Regular Session
House Bill No. 8!5!
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INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES RALPH l^7ENDEL P. TULF0
AND |0CELYN P. TULFO
AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING AND EXPANDING THE NATIONAL
EMPLOYMENT RECOVERY STRATEGY (NERS) TO A NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT
ACTION PLAN, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
ExpLANATORY NOTE
In  May  2023,  the  World  Health  Organization  (WHO)  lifted  the  Public  Health
Emergency of International Concern for COVID-19. Although the state of calamity due to the
COVID-19 pandemic has not been lifted nor extended by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.,
it may be observed that the pandemic has been on a downward trend which allowed most
countries, including the Philippines, to return to life as we knew it before COVID-19.
Since  the  pandemic  struck,  it is  undeniable  that all  Filipinos have been affected,
especiauy micro, small, and medium enterprises and the informal sector.  According to a
survey conducted by the International Organization for Migration, at least 70% of Overseas
Filipino Workers  who returned to the Philippines in 2020 had their employment terminated.
Although the COVID-19 crisis accelerated digitalization of the business sector, this
new age must be accompanied by a holistic approach in ensuring that the labor workforce
remains competitive and employable through enhanced efforts for skilling, reskilling, and
upskilling.
This   Representation  calls   for   the   institutionalization   of   the   present  National
Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS) of the Philippines to address the social and economic
issues  brought  about  by  the  COVID-19  pandemic  and  its  expansion  to  the  National
Employment Action Plan (NEAP), which will serve as the countr)/s employment recovery
and generation masterplan.
In view of the f
RALPH
going, the urgent passing of this bill is earnestly sought.
NDEL P. TULFO
resentative
2nd District Of Quezon City
ACT-GIS


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE 0F REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
NINETEENTII CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HouseBillNo.     8454
INTRODucED By REPRESENTATIVES RALPH i^rENDEL p. TULFo
AND l0CELYN P. TULFO
1                    AN ACT INSTrruTloNALIZING AND ExpANDING THE NATloNAL
2         EMPLoyMENT REcOvERy sTRATEGy (NERs) TO A NATIONAL EMPLoyMEr`IT
3       ACTION PLAN, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
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5       Be it enacted by the sena[te and the House of Rapresentatkes of the philippines in congress assembled:
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7            SECTION 1. S"off Tt.fzc. -This Act shall be known as the ``Trabaho Para Sa I.ahat Ng
8       PilipinoAct".
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10            SEC. 2. Dcchart}f..o# a/PoJt.a..es. -It is the pdicy of the state to afford full protection to labor,
11      local and overseas, organized and unorganized, promote full, productive, and freely chosen
12      employment and livelihood, and ensure equal employment opportunities for all, irrespective of
13      sex, race, color, religion, pohtical opinion, national extraction or social origin.
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15           Accordingly,  the  State  shall  ensure,  in  pursuit  of  poverty  reduction  through  decent
16      employment,  an  environment  that  encourages  more  employment  and  entrepreneurship
17      opportunities,   provide   comprehensive   support   to   existing   and   emerging   businesses,
18      particularly  to  the  micro,  small  and  medium  enterprises  (MSMEs),  and  improve  the
19      employability and productivity of workers.
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21            SEC. 3. CozJerm[ge. -This Act shall apply to national, regional, and lor=al government units
22      (LGUs), without prejudice to the right of the LGUs within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region
23      of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to opt to adopt their own regional employment plan.
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25            SEC. 4. Nfltr.o#¢J ffflpJoy"enf Acti.o# Pha# (NEAP). -A National Employment Action plan,
26      integrating the 2021-2022 National Employment Recovery strategy (NERS) from the pandemic,
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1      shah be the State's employment recovery and generation masterplan which shall have the
2       fonowingotjectives:
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(a)  To  stimulate national and local econolnic  growth and development through linked
investment  incentives   to   the   creation  of  more   decent  employment  to   address
unemployment,  underemployment,  and  rising  precarity  and  informarity  of  work
arrangements;
@)  To promote the employability, competitiveness, wellness, and productivity of workers
through  efficient  and  effective  delivery  of  skills  development  and  enhancement
programs, and maxirfuzation of opportunities in the labor market in a post-COVID-19
world; and
(c)  To  provide  support  and  incentives  to  businesses,  whether  existing  or  emerging,
particularly MSMEs, and ensure the security and preservation of employment.
For this purpose, the Inter-Agency Council for Jobs and Investments (IAC) under Section 4
18      of this Act shall formulate the NEAP, which shall integrate and implement the NERS within
19      one (1) year upon the lifting of the declaration of the state of calamity. The NEAP shall have
20      clear action components, success measures, and performance indicators, including but not
21       limited to:
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(a)  Provision of support for the establishment and growth of MSMEs, including increased
access to financing and capital, and other incentives, to promote self-reliance and spur
employment generation;
a])  Equipping unskilled workforce, particularly youth and women, with skil]s training and
other opportunities to improve their employability and competitiveness;
(c)  Encouraging  and  incentivizing  employers  and  other  private  sector  organizations,
including industry stakeholders, that offer training, including technology, knowledge
and skills transfer, upskilling and reskilling, apprenticeship, on-the-job training, and
other similar activities, geared towards the improvement of the workforce;
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(d) Formulating plans and incentives and facilitating the transition of workers from the
informal to the formal economy through the provision of assistance for formalization of
their livelihoods, such as business regivtration;
(e)  Empowering the workforce through orientations, seminars, and all other modes on their
rights as guaranteed by the 1987 Constitution, Presidential Decree No. 442, or the I.abor
Code of the Philippines, and different rules and regulations, including the right to self-
organization and collective bargaining;
(f)  Identifying priority sectors, key and emerging industries, and other areas with high
employment potential, for purposes of encouraging domestic investment and foreign
direct investment in such sectors, implemendng targeted support and subsidy to volatife
sectors, and providing support to create valucradded supply chain;
(g)  Expanding the implementation of active labor market pohcies and programs, including
employment facilitation and job lnatching services, create irmovative means to reach
more workers, and improve the efficiency of delivering such services;
th) Enhancing  tripartism and  social  dialogue  through increasing  the  participation and
representation of youth, women, and workers in the informal economy, among others,
in labor issues and concerns;
(i)   Developing affordable schemes to encourage and incentivize workers in the informal
economy to be enrolled in the Social Security System;
0)   Promoting ethical and fair recruitment to protect the rights of migrant workers through
improved supervision of recruitment agencies, prosecution and conviction of traffickers
and illegal recruiters, and intensified occupational safety and health inspections, among
others; and
(k) Implement  the  full{ycle  and  comprehensive  national  reintegration  program  for
documented and undocumented Overseas Firipino Workers.
For this purpose, the IAC shall describe and set standards for the development of additional
35      action components, and their corresponding success measures, and performance indicators.
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2            SEC. 5. InterAgency council f tor Jobs and Investments. -The NE:RS TaLsk Force, created
3       under Executive Cinder No.140, series of 2021, is hereby reconstituted as the IAC. It shall be
4      composed of the following:
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6           (a)  Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry as chairperson;
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8           @)  Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment as coThairperson;
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10            (c)  DirectorGeneral of the Technical Education and skills Development Authority ITESDA)
11                 as coThaiaperson;
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(d) Secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers as member;
(e)  Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) as member;
(f)  Secretary of the Department of Finance (DOF) as member;
(g)  DirectorGeneral of the National Economic and Development Authority as member;
th) One (1) representative from the employers organizations; and
(i)   tine (1) representative from the labor organizations.
The IAC chairpersons and members may designate their representatives, who must be next-
26      in-rank to the principal member and fully authorized to decide for and on their behalf.
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28            The DOLE shall serve as the secretariat of the IAC. It shall be composed of existing personnel
29      from the roLE, and shall provide administrative, operational, and technical support to the IAC.
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31           The IAC shall coordinate and obtain resource persons from other government agencies and
32      instrumentalities as well as private stakeholders as may be necessary to reahize the otyectives of
3 3       tlris Act.
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SEC. 6. Pozuers fl#d F##ct..ous a/ the IAC. - The IAC shall have the fonowing powers and
functions:
(a)  Formulate a medium and long-term NEAP, and make the necessary changes thereto, in
order to address the recovery of the labor market and the prevailing employment issues
therein, including providing employment otyectives and targets, action components and
performance indicators, implementation and coordination mechanisms, and monitoring
and  evaluation.  The  NEAP  shall  undergo  an  armual  review  and  evaluation  of  its
implementation,  accomplishments,  and  recommendations  to  address  gaps  in  its
execution;
a) Conduct a comprehensive analysis of the employment situation and labor market in the
country, review of existing pohcies and programs affecting the workforce in general and
the informal economy, youth, and women, in particular, and map initiatives undertaken
with the support of the private sector, non-government organizations, or international
development organizations;
(c)  Harmonize  the  employment,  livelihood  and  training  projects  and  programs  of  the
National Government towards the preservation and creation of more jobs;
(d) Collaborate  with  local  government  units  in  planning,  devising,  and  implementing
employment recovery and job generation programs within their localities, and ensure
their alignment with the NEAP;
(e)  Create working groups in support of the development and implementation of the NEAP;
(f)  Tap civil society organizations, employers organizations, labor unions and groups, and
other partners, where feasible, for joint programs and technical cooperation iritiatives to
augment and expand employment generation and livelihood prcjects;
(g)  Engage in promotional activities to expand the reach of national and local employment
campaign;
(h) Craft and provide guidelines for the institutionalization of the NEAP in each government
agency;
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2           (i)   Submit to the office of the president, the senate of the philippines, and the House of
3                  Representatives a report on the review and evaluation of the implementation of the
4                  NEAP; and
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6           0)   Perform such other functions that may be related to the implementation of the NEAP.
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8            SEC.  7.  EstobJjsfe"ei.I  a/ IAC  Work£#g  Growps.  -  To  pursue  a  whole-of-government
9      approach in the implementation of the NEAP, working groups may be established by the IAC,
10      as may be necessary. The creation of working groups shall be in line with the dyjectives and
11      targets as may be indicated in the NEAP, and shall work on developing employment recovery
12      and job creation  in  specific  industries  and  emerging  sectors,  such  as,  but not linited  to,
13      construction,   tourism,   agriculture,   information   technology   (IT)   and   business   process
14      management, and manufacturing.
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16           Industry sector representatives, including representatives from the labor and employers'
17      groups, shall be consulted and shall participate in the working groups.
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19             SEC. 8. Acfz.tJe pflrft.ct.pet..o# a/ I,ocoZ GotJer7!rmenf Lfro..ts. -LGUs shall formulate plans,
20      programs, or projects geared towards employment recovery and job generation within their
21      localities. The IAC, together with the DILG, shall craft policies and guidelines, and provide
22      support to LGUs in the localization and alignment of their respective plans with the NEAP.
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24           SEC. 9. Rqporf fo Co"gress. -The IAC shall submit an annual report to Congress on the
25      status of implementation, accomplishments, and recommendations in employment recovery
26      andjobgeneration.
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28             SEC.10. J7xp7e77zc«fz.»g RzfJcs d»d Regrfz¢fjous. -Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity
29      of this Act, the DTI, DOLE, and TESDA, in coordination with the DBM, DOF, NEDA, and other
30      concerned  agencies  and private  stakeholders,  shall formulate  the  implementing rules  and
31      regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.
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1            SEC.11. Squ¢rflb..Jf.fry cha#sc. -If any provision of this Act or a portion thereof is declared
2      unconstitutional or invalid, the remainder of this Act or any provision not affected thereby shall
3      remain in full force and effect.
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5            SEC.12. RapcoJi.#g chause. -All laws, ordinances, niles, regulations, other issuances or parts
6      thereof, which are inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
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8            SEC.13. E#ecfjt%.fry. -This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the
9      Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
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11            Approved,
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