The Baguio City Council, in a forum last October 3, deliberated on the Baguio-Locals-First hiring policy (Baguio City Ordinance 48-2021) in response to the plea of the Province of Benguet for a reconsideration.
In a resolution, the Benguet Provincial Board (Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Benguet) expressed support to the resolution passed by the Municipality of Tuba, Benguet urging the City Government of Baguio to reconsider the said policy and include as priorities in employment the job applicants from La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba, Tublay (LISTT) areas.
The members of the provincial board stated in their resolution that job seekers from the LISTT areas should be included as part of the workforce of Baguio City “in the spirit of cooperation” in order to further encourage socio-economic development in the whole Baguio-LISTT areas.
The Baguio-Local-First hiring policy or Ordinance 48-2021 which was enacted on April 5, 2021 mandates all employers in the city to prioritize qualified and bonafide residents of Baguio City applying for vacant positions.
Under the ordinance, Baguio-based private learning institutions, commercial, industrial, industrial, and business establishments, construction companies, and private contractors and sub-contractors undertaking private construction projects in the city shall hire 90% of their employees consisting of bonafide Baguio residents who are registered with and referred to them by the Public Employment Service Office (PESO).
The ordinance indicates that a person is considered a bonafide Baguio resident if they have stayed in the city for six months or more.
Attending the forum were Labor and Employment Officer III Romelda Frances Escano of the City Public Employment Service Office and OIC Emirito Narag of the Department of Labor and Employment Baguio- Benguet Field Office.
Escano told the council that the overriding hiring principle in the city in terms of employment should be fitness over and above any other consideration in the spirit of inclusive development as enveloped in Republic Act 11932 or the Act creating the Metropolitan BLISTT Development Authority (MBLISTTDA).
“Equal access to employment opportunities is sacrosanct and is one of the steward pillars of any true dynamic democracy. An applicant must be given a chance regardless of where they come from as long as they are qualified,” she stressed.
She commented on the “mandatory” nature of the ordinance, noting that the employer has the “prerogative” to select among all the applicants.
“It’s like we are leaving these employers no choice,” she said.
She underscored that there are already measures in place urging investors to prioritize local applicants.
She added that local workers are always given a priority in construction projects as they are protected by Republic Act 6685, an Act requiring private contractors to whom national, provincial, city and municipal public works projects have been awarded to hire at least 50% of the unskilled and at least 30% of the skilled labor requirements to be taken from the available bona fide residents.
Agreeing with Escano, Narag said employers have the right to freely select and hire employees as they have their own hiring policies and standards in which education, training, skills, competencies, and characteristics of applicants are primarily considered.
On the other hand, Councilor Elmer Datuin argued that the ordinance does not intend to “exclude” job applicants from the adjoining provinces.
He explained that, based on the ordinance, 90% of the employees of the companies should consist of bonafide Baguio residents and the remaining 10% is for workers from outside the city.
“Everybody is given equal opportunity here in the city, not only those coming from the adjoining provinces but also from other places in the country. It’s just that we prioritize our constituents because everybody here is asking for employment. And the ordinance was crafted to address that need,” he stated.
He said there is no need to amend the ordinance.
The city council, taking into consideration all points raised during the forum, referred the matter to the Committee on Employment, Livelihood, Cooperative, and Persons with Disabilities for possible legislative action. **Jordan G. Habbiling
