Bill seeking to prevent local ‘brain drain’ filed

By Jose Cielito Reganit, Philippine News Agency

Under the return-to-province career tracks component, local government units (LGUs) and national agencies would be required to maintain and publish priority hiring rosters for local government and partner institutions. (File Photo by Petr Macháček/Unsplash)

MANILA – Abra lone district Rep. Joseph Sto. Niño Bernos has filed a bill seeking to combat the “brain drain” occurring in the provinces, which he said further deepens the inequality between urban and rural areas.

Bill 3124, or the “Balik-Bayanihan sa Probinsya” bill filed at the House of Representatives on Aug. 5, hopes to address internal migration by strengthening local ecosystems for work and enterprise by aligning education, labor, and development policies instead of simply offering temporary incentives or financial aid to entice graduates and young professionals to stay in their hometowns.

The measure would create a Balik-Bayanihan Program that contains various components, such as the designation of provincial talent hubs that would provide career coaching, job matching, and labor market information; facilitate continuing education and professional development; and offer co-working spaces and mentorship programs for freelancers, startups, and returning professionals.

A local career pathways and job creation component, meanwhile, would identify and promote career paths in tourism, agriculture, digital services, crafts, and local public service; integrate place-based internships, apprenticeships, and on-the-job training in senior high school and tertiary education; and encourage curriculum alignment with local labor demands.

A rural employment linkage component will establish a Rural Employment and Enterprise Partnership Program linking young workers with micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and cooperatives; remote work and digital economy opportunities; tourism and heritage-based enterprises; and agribusiness, environmental restoration, and local manufacturing.

Under the return-to-province career tracks component, local government units (LGUs) and national agencies would be required to maintain and publish priority hiring rosters for local government and partner institutions.

They are also mandated to offer reintegration support services, such as licensing facilitation, remote work infrastructure, or enterprise incubation.

The LGUs shall work with the Department of Information and Communications Technology to provide broadband support and shared tech facilities that would enable digital professionals to thrive in rural areas.

“We want our local talents to stay so that they can use their knowledge and energy for the betterment of their hometowns,” Bernos said in a statement on Wednesday.

Rather than setting up new structures for the program’s implementation, House Bill 3124 calls for “a recalibration of priorities of existing institutions,” according to the lawmaker.

“We need a shift in mindset, a refocusing on rural development that would help address regional inequality. It will be easier to achieve rural development if we prevent the exodus of our young talent away from their hometowns towards urban centers,” Bernos said.

He also appealed to the youth to consider working for their hometowns.