Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 58. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is the national government agency mandated to formulate policies, implement programs and serve as the policy-coordinating arm of the Executive Branch on labor and employment.129 To carry out this mandate, the DOLE has 16 regional offices, 83 Field Offices with 4 Satellite Offices, 38 overseas posts, 6 bureaus, 7 staff services, and 11 agencies attached to it for policy and program supervision and/or coordination.130 It provides services to more than 40 million workers comprising the country’s labor force, including those in the formal and informal economies, private and public organizations, employers, employers’ groups, non-government organizations (NGOs), and other government agencies, the academe, other stakeholders, international organizations (e.g., ILO, UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)), and the international community including the host countries of our OFWs.131 59. On its website, the Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns of the Department of Labor and Employment has identified the Youth Education - Youth Employability (YE-YE) Project as one of its programs for the youth. YE-YE aims to address the education-to-employment needs of the youth.132 60. In 2014, the DOLE, in partnership with Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)-affiliated researchers, conducted a randomized evaluation to investigate the impact of the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) on youth education, employability, and employment in Manila, Central Luzon, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Davao Region.133 They found that although SPES did not impact academic outcomes or work readiness in the medium term, it helped the beneficiaries find work, increasing their likelihood of being currently employed by 3.9% points, a 70% increase from the comparison group rate of 5.6%.134 61. The DOLE, in coordination with all Local Government Units (LGUs), has also established the Public Employment Service Office (PESO), a non-fee charging multi-dimensional employment service facility or entity.135 It aims to ensure prompt and efficient delivery of employment facilitation services through labor market information, referral and placement, and employment coaching and career counseling to provide timely information on the labor market and DOLE Programs.136 PESOs, together with DepEd, work to 129 Department of Labor and Employment, About Us, available at https://www.dole.gov.ph/about-us/ (last accessed June 21, 2022). 130 Id. 131 Id. 132 Department of Labor and Employment: Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns, Programs for the Youth: Youth Education – Youth Employability (YE-YE) Project, available at https://bwsc.dole.gov.ph/35-programs-projects/programsfor-the-youth.html (last accessed May 26, 2022). 133 Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), Details of Intervention, available at https://www.poverty-action.org/study/impactyouth-employment-bridging-programphilippines#:~:text=While%20it%20improved%20students'%20confidence,group%20rate%20of%205.6%20percent (last accessed May 26, 2022). 134 Id. at Results and Policy Lessons. 135 Department of Labor and Employment, About Public Employment Services (PES), available at https://www.dole.gov.ph/public-employment-services-pes-contents/ (last accessed June 21, 2022). 136 Id. 34