Businesses in Cebu City with at least six employees may soon be required to submit monthly employment reports to the city government under a proposed ordinance aimed at improving labor market data and employment planning.
Councilor Mikel Rama filed the measure seeking to require covered establishments to regularly submit employment reports to the Department of Manpower Development and Placement (DMDP), Cebu City’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO).
The proposed ordinance aims to establish a local mechanism for implementing an existing requirement under the Omnibus Rules Implementing the Labor Code, while allowing the city government to gather more updated information on employment trends, available jobs, and workforce movements.
If approved, the measure will cover business establishments operating in Cebu City, including corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships, cooperatives, educational institutions, non-government organizations, and other employers with at least six workers.
Under the proposal, covered establishments must submit a Monthly Employment Report to the DMDP no later than the seventh working day of the succeeding month.
The report will include information on available job vacancies, newly hired workers classified according to occupation, sex, and employment status, as well as records of employee terminations, layoffs, and retirements.
Businesses will also be required to indicate their total number of workers during the reporting period and any requests for assistance in filling vacant positions.
The reports may be submitted either through printed copies or electronically using forms prescribed by the DMDP.
Rama said the measure seeks to provide the city government with more reliable labor market information that can be used in improving employment programs, workforce planning, skills matching, investment promotion, and other economic development initiatives.
The proposed ordinance noted that employers with at least six employees are already required under Rule II, Section 9 of the Omnibus Rules Implementing the Labor Code to submit monthly employment reports to the nearest Public Employment Service Office.
The measure said the proposed local policy does not create a new labor requirement but provides a system for enforcing the existing national mandate, particularly in connection with business permit processing.
To ensure compliance, establishments renewing their business permits would be required to present proof that they submitted the required employment reports.
The Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) would verify compliance, while violations would be referred to the DMDP for appropriate administrative action.
Under the proposed penalties, establishments that fail to comply would first receive a written warning and be required to attend an orientation conducted by the DMDP.
A second violation would result in a P2,000 fine, while a third offense would carry a P3,000 fine and a recommendation to suspend the establishment’s business permit until compliance is completed.
Subsequent violations would be penalized with a P5,000 fine.
Continued willful non-compliance may also be considered in evaluating future business permit renewal applications, subject to due process requirements.
The proposal provides establishments an opportunity to correct violations before penalties are imposed.
Businesses issued a Notice of Non-Compliance will be given 15 days to explain or address the deficiency.
The proposed ordinance also includes safeguards on employee information by limiting the data collected by the DMDP to information necessary for labor market analysis and employment facilitation.
The measure requires the city government to comply with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 in handling personally identifiable information gathered through the reporting system.
The proposed ordinance will undergo deliberation before the Cebu City Council.
Photo courtesy of The Skyscraper Center
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