SUBIC BAY FREEPORT: The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Parole and Probation Administration (PPA), an attached agency under the Department of Justice (DoJ), recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) that supports the reintegration of probationers, parolees and pardonees into the workplace.

The MoA was signed between SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose Aliño and Department of Justice-Parole and Probation Administration (DoJ-PPA) Administrator Bienvenido Benitez Jr. on Thursday, April 11, at the SBMA Corporate Boardroom.

Aliño said the workplace reintegration program is a silver lining for those who were deprived of liberty and be part of the social mainstream again.

"If you are a parolee, probationer or pardonee, people will tend to look down on you because of the social stigma from your past actions. I honestly think though, that they should not be denied their right to work and provide financial support to their families," he said.

He added that this stigma has hindered most of them from reintegrating into a workplace, as they are usually shunned by companies due to their past records.

Benitez, meanwhile, expressed his gratitude to the SBMA for supporting the PPA's workplace reintegration program since the agency is the first among the government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) that supported the project.

He lauded the efforts of the SBMA Labor Department led by Melvin Varias, for being instrumental in the realization of this proposal to create employment opportunities and help rebuild the lives of former persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

According to the general conditions of the agreement, the SBMA and the PPA will jointly develop a workplace reintegration program for these clients that specifies its objectives and includes a register of the knowledge, skills, and competencies that these persons already have or acquired for skills-matching.

The SBMA and the DoJ-PPA will jointly monitor and evaluate the Workplace Reintegration Program.

The agreement also states that the supposed employment shall not constitute an employee-employer relationship between the SBMA and the clients, but shall be a partnership or joint venture between the agency and the DoJ-PPA, even beyond the scope of the agreement.

Meanwhile, SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Support Services Ramon Agregado said that the SBMA is more than willing to help these clients get back into the workplace, adding that providing equal employment opportunities for them would be an honorable undertaking for the agency.

"For our part, we will facilitate the endorsement of potential and qualified clients through a Register of Eligibles (RoEs) to Subic Bay Freeport Zone locator-companies under the Workplace Reintegration Program," he said.

He added that the SBMA will provide a quarterly update to the DoJ-PPA on the program, and coordinate and work closely with the administration in order to provide the needed support to achieve the MoA's objectives.

Benitez said the DoJ-PPA also plans to propose the program to Clark Development Corp. (CDC) and John Hay Management Corp. (JHMC).