What government office is responsible for planning and carrying out the Philippines' national manpower training programs?

Leadership of the Secretariat

The Secretariat is led by a Director-General, assisted by a Deputy Director-General. Both are career administrators appointed by the President of the Philippines on the recommendation of the Secretary of Labor, and both must be natural-born citizens between thirty and fifty years old at the time of appointment, holding a master's degree or its equivalent and relevant experience in national planning and human resource development.

Term and rank of the Director-General

The Director-General holds the rank and pay of an undersecretary and serves a fixed term of ten years. The Executive Directors who head the Office of Manpower Planning and Development, the Office of Vocational Preparation and the National Manpower Skills Center carry the rank of a bureau director and are covered by Civil Service rules. The head of the Skills Center must additionally have completed training in center management.

What the Secretariat is tasked to do

The article lists the Secretariat's core functions: preparing and recommending the manpower plan for the Council's approval, recommending how resources should be allocated to carry it out, and then implementing that plan as the Council's working arm. It also submits periodic progress reports to the Council and prepares the Council's annual report to the President on manpower and out-of-school youth programs.

Offices that carry out the work

Underneath the Secretariat sit an Office of Manpower Planning and Development, an Office of Vocational Preparation, a National Manpower Skills Center, and regional manpower development offices, plus any other offices the Council decides are necessary. The Director-General also appoints the staff needed to carry out the Council's objectives, subject to Civil Service rules, though the regular professional and technical staff are exempt from wage-classification rules known as WAPCO regulations.

Why this still matters today

This provision is about government structure rather than a private dispute, so it will not usually come up in a lawsuit. It is useful background for anyone dealing with the agency that plans and implements Philippine manpower and skills programs, since it explains who signs off on the national plan, who funds it, and which office to approach for information on training initiatives in a given region.

Related provisions

• Labor Code, Article 53 — Council Secretariat
• Labor Code, Article 52 — Incentive Scheme For Training
• Labor Code, Article 54 — Regional Manpower Development Offices