Quezon City - The Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) attended the 2024 Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Midyear Planning and Exercise, held on 01 to 02 August, at the Park Inn by Radisson, Quezon City.
The planning exercise was graced by the heads and representatives of the different DOLE Bureaus and Offices, Regional Offices, and attached agencies. Executive Director III Jeanette T. Damo represented the Institute.
The primary objectives of the two-day activity are (1) to assess the Department’s first-semester performance vis-à-vis targets and budget allocation; (2) to identify challenges, pain points/bottlenecks, and opportunities in program implementation; and (3) to formulate action plans, including reformulated Work and Financial Plan (WFP), Office Performance Commitment and Review (OPCR), and Catch-up Plans to achieve the Department's annual targets.
During the activity, DOLE Undersecretary Atty. Benedicto Ernesto R. Bitonio, Jr. presented the issues and action plans of the Labor Relations, Policy, and International Affairs and Regional Operations Cluster, to which ILS belongs. Undersecretary Bitonio, Jr. also provided an update on the ongoing eight (8) policy researches of ILS, which will be presented at the 13th DOLE Research Conference in October and are slated for completion by the end of the fiscal year.
As the policy research and advocacy arm of DOLE, ILS takes the lead in harmonizing the DOLE research projects and priorities under the department’s Labor and Employment Plan 2023-2028. In line with this, the Institute is currently consolidating inputs to develop the DOLE 2025-2026 Research Agenda, to continuously deliver and disseminate timely and policy-relevant studies on current issues on labor and employment in the country.
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