Section 1Sec./Art. 1

Section 3 of Republic Act No. 8759, otherwise known as the Public Employment Service Office Act of 1999, is hereby amended to read as follows:

SEC. 3. Establishment of the Public Employment Service Office. To carry out the above declared policy, there shall be established in all provinces, cities, and municipalities a Public Employment Service Office, hereinafter referred to as PESO, which shall be operated and maintained by local government units (LGUs). The PESOs shall be linked to the regional offices of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for coordination and technical supervision, and to the DOLE central office, to constitute the national public employment service network.

The PESO shall be under the office of the governor, city or municipal mayor. The PESO shall be initially organized by and composed of a PESO manager and may be assisted by a labor and employment officer (LEO) as may be determined by the LGU.

Upon the request of accredited nongovernment organizations (NGOs) or educational institutions (Els), the DOLE may enter into a memorandum of agreement for the NGO and EI to establish, operate and maintain a PESO and a job placement office, respectively.

To harmonize the provision of employment services in a given territorial jurisdiction, the PESO at the NGOs and the job placement office in Els shall coordinate their activities with the appropriate LGU PESO.