ILOILO CITY – The Public Employment Service Office (PESO) here hopes that the Sangguniang Panlungsod (City Council) can pass this year an ordinance institutionalizing the barangay employment service office (BESO).

Iloilo City PESO manager Gabriel Felix Umadhay, in an interview on Friday, said the initiative would make it easier to facilitate employment at the barangay level.

"We can cascade our program to all barangays to make it more efficient in the referral of services," he said.

With a BESO, job seekers need not go to recruitment centers. Instead, they will just inform the BESO of the kind of job they are looking for, whether it is for long-term or short-term employment.

Short-term employment includes emergency employment or other programs downloaded by the Department of Labor and Employment; while long-term employment includes local, overseas and business processing outsourcing jobs.

The BESO will also make it easier to extend aid to distressed overseas Filipino workers, as their relatives can report the concern directly to the BESO.

The ordinance for the BESO institutionalization is currently being deliberated at the city council.

In the proposed ordinance, barangays have an option to hire a BESO in charge, or provide additional honorarium to the secretary or treasurer if they have a budget, or appoint a barangay kagawad (councilor).

In his report on Wednesday, Councilor Jose Maria Dela Llana, chair of the committee on social services, said the function of BESO is distinct from PESO.

"While PESO provides technical assistance support, the BESO directly strengthens and empowers employment services at the barangay level. Each barangay, regardless of size or demographics, stands to benefit from having a BESO," he said.

Specifically, the BESO will facilitate coordination with PESO, assist in the data gathering and submission to the Department of Labor and Employment.