The city council has enacted an ordinance mandating all employers in the city to ensure that 90% of their workforce consists of qualified and bonafide residents of Baguio City.
Under Ordinance 48-2021 authored by all members of the council, Baguio-based private learning institutions and commercial, and industrial business establishments shall prioritize qualified and bonafide Baguio residents who are registered with and referred to them by the Public Employment Service Office (PESO).
The said office shall certify the referred applicant as a capable individual for the position needed by the employer.
Employers are mandated to submit a list of job vacancies to the PESO and must fill up such vacancies from the unemployed bonafide Baguio residents who are registered with the PESO before they are issued pertinent business licenses.
To secure or renew pertinent business licenses, employers must present a certification from the PESO or the punong barangay who has jurisdiction of the location of the establishment and construction of the project that they have reached the required percentage of employees who are bonafide Baguio residents and are registered with and certified by the office.
According to the ordinance, an employer may hire workers outside the PESO recommendation if, at the time of recruitment and hiring, the jobseekers listed by the office are insufficient to cover the needed workers or if the applicants certified as qualified by the office has demonstrated unwillingness due to unjustified non-appearance during scheduled job hiring activities despite a written notice.
Further, the ordinance stipulated that an employer may hire an applicant outside the PESO recommendation provided the applicant is a bonafide Baguio resident.
An employer is allowed to hire a non-Baguio worker only when there are no available, qualified, and willing applicants who are bonafide residents of the city and is urged to secure a certificate of non-availability from the PESO, the ordinance added.
The permits and Licensing Division and the PESO are tasked to conduct an inventory of non-compliant establishments and submit a report to the city council. They are also required to continue monitoring compliance of employers.
The ordinance has been transmitted to the City Mayor’s Office for signing before it takes effect.** Jordan G. Habbiling
