DAVAO CITY – The Public Employment Service Office of Davao Region bagged three (3) 2020 Secretary’s Bayanihan Awards in the recently concluded 21^st National PESO Congress Award, Thursday, September 23.

PESO Davao City, PEESO Tagum City, and PESO Magsaysay, Davao del Sur emerged victorious among the 49 finalists in the categories of Highly Urbanized City, Component City, and 3^rd to 4^th Class Municipality respectively.

Said award was open to all PESOs nationwide who had exceptional and extraordinary contributions resulting to the acquisition of quality and decent employment despite the limitations and restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. These covered activities conducted by PESOs from the months of March to December 2020.

Finalists to the same award were PESO Davao del Sur Province and PESO Kapalong, Davao del Norte in the 1^st Class Province Category and 1^st to 2^nd Class Municipality Category respectively. Meanwhile, PESO Davao Occidental was nominated in the 3^rd Class Province Category and Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology in Job Placement Office category.

In his message, DOLE Secretary Silvestre H. Bello emphasized how PESO remained to be the department’s most trusted ally for more than two decades in delivering all of its programs and services to the people such as TUPAD, SPES, GIP, and many more. “The milestones that we have achieved since the implementation of the first PESO Act of 1999 up to the continuing professionalization of the PESO are what we will be imparting to future generations as we strive for further improvement and growth in the employment sector.”

Senator Joel Villanueva, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resource Development graced the event as the guest speaker. He commended the PESO for its unceasing efforts to uplift and transform the lives of the Filipinos by providing decent employment and training and skills development. This year’s National PESO Congress, with the theme ‘Sama-samang Pagtutulungan Tungo sa Pagbangon ng Bayan,” was held via zoom and was streamed live on Facebook. During the Parade of Regions, Davao Region was represented by DOLE XI OIC-Regional Director Atty. Randolf C. Pensoy, OIC-Asst. Regional Director Jason P. Balais, and PESOMAP Regional President Rogeneth Llanos.