Driver - G2

Introduction

The vast agro-economy of the central and southern Philippines has been hard-hit by the series of natural and man-made crises at an unprecedented scale. After suffering from the prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on jobs and income, 11 regions in this part of the country have been swept by the Super Typhoon Rai (locally named Odette – hereinafter “ST Odette”) in mid-December 2021. Surprisingly, ST Odette’s total damages figure of the six most affected regions (USD 3.9 billion) went substantially higher than that of the ST Yolanda (USD 2.2 billion). This time, the suffering did not stop there. Within four months when the signs of recovery were barely seen, Tropical Storm Megi/Agaton hit almost the same areas, once again destructing the agro-economy of these regions and affecting anew 2.3 million population. Simultaneously, the country was starting to see the impact of the war in Ukraine that accelerated the price hike on food and energy globally to become the largest commodity shock since the 1970s.

The livelihood recovery of the agro-economy in the six regions is slow and deemed heavily constrained by the funding and capacity gaps. Although the Rehabilitation and Recovery Programs (RRPs) have been approved by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) at the end of June 2022 with a USD 7.1 billion total funding requirement, it is expected that only small part of it will be funded by the government considering the unprecedented scale of damages and the tight fiscal space after the prolonged pandemic. The impact and needs assessment conducted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) noted that, despite the well-developed sector recovery plan elaborated by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) – CARE COCO, the replanting of coconut trees has been slow. The assessment study identified key bottlenecks in the efforts of the coconut sector recovery such as the weak attention to the land preparation (e.g., tillage, harrowing, levelling, etc.); limited value chain linkages to the high-growth economic centres, sectors and value-added products; and the capacity of the local government units (LGUs) to plan and coordinate a multi-year integrated recovery plan and access to available funding such as the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF), rehabilitation and livelihood programmes of NGAs, and private sector financing windows of IFIs. Further, the LGUs are also challenged to operationalize the major devolution that began in 2022 as a result of the Mandanas-Garcia ruling.

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Against this backdrop, the ILO project will support select LGUs of a target local area damaged by Super Typhoon Odette by addressing implementation bottlenecks of CARE COCO and supplementing it with value chain linkages, packaging of recovery support into a multi-year integrated job-rich recovery plan and supporting LGUs’ access to funding. It will generate the following outcomes: Outcome 1: Bottlenecks of CARE COCO programme addressed and the programme implementation accelerated (through cash-for-work); Outcome 2: Farmers better linked to multiple value chains (e.g., construction, urban market, tourism, high value-added coconut products); and Outcome 3: Local economy recovery made more integrated, better funded and experiences disseminated. Through the demonstration effect of this project, ILO aims to contribute to the learnings of other LGUs facing similar challenges across the six affected-regions to follow suit and replicate the model in the context of the significant devolution.

The project will actively seek technical inputs from and synergies with other relevant projects that may include among others: Bringing Back Jobs Safely on OSH and MSME digitalization training; Skills for Prosperity on the coordination with the area-based demand-driven regional skills system; and Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Supply Chains for the possible collaboration in aquaculture. ILO will also closely coordinate with the development partners engaged in the recovery of the coconut and ancillary sectors (e.g., construction, tourism, food processing), in particular the coconut farmers support programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations which may be working with the same LGUs to be targeted through the ILO project.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will be based in the Field Office in one of the severely-affected regions (tentatively assumed Surigao City) and report to and work under the supervision of the National Project Coordinator. She/he will also closely work and coordinate with Programme and Administrative Assistant of the project and the guided by the Operations Officer of CO-Manila for the internal procedures and financial processing of the project activities.

Description of Duties

1. Provide reliable and secure driving services for National Project Officer and other authorized personnel and visitors.

2. Ensure proper day-to-day maintenance of assigned vehicles through timely minor repairs and arrange for timely major repairs and checking of oil, tyres, brakes and water levels, car washing, etc. so that the vehicle is kept clean and in good running condition at all times. Provide inputs to the preparation of the vehicle maintenance plans and reports.
3. Ensure availability of all the required documents/supplies including vehicle insurance, vehicle registration, vehicle logs, office directory, map of the city/country, first aid kit and other MOSS-compliant equipment, and necessary spare parts in the assigned vehicle; keeps track of insurance and other tax formalities.
4. Collect mail and pouch and deliver mail and official documents to government ministries and officials as instructed.

5. Meet officials and visitors at the airport or other entry points and provide basic assistance with basic visa and customs formalities.

6. Responsible for accurately maintaining vehicle logbooks, recording daily trips, to ensure efficient vehicle use and fuel consumption to support accurate accounting and cost-efficiency.

7. Outside driving duties, perform basic office-related tasks such as photocopying, filing, data entry, maintaining stores, and delivery/collection of various items.
8. Perform other relevant duties as assigned.

Required qualifications

Education

Primary education, valid driver's license, knowledge of driving rules and regulations, and skills in minor vehicle repairs.

Experience

Two years' work experience as a driver with a safe driving record.

Languages

Excellent command of English in both speaking and writing. Proficiency in Filipino is an advantage.

Competencies

• Excellent knowledge of local driving rules and regulations.
• Knowledge of local roads and conditions.
• Skills in minor vehicle repair.
• Good knowledge of chauffeur protocol and courtesies.
• Good knowledge of security issues.
• Knowledge of rules and procedures on vehicle management including maintenance of official vehicles and knowledge of mechanics and maintenance and repair of vehicles.
• Some knowledge of administrative rules and regulations
• Some basic computer skills to record information in IT systems.

optional section (if needed)

• In addition to the ILO core competencies [Integrity and transparency, Sensitivity to diversity, Orientation to learning and knowledge sharing, Client orientation, Communication, Orientation to change, Takes responsibility for performance, Quality orientation, Collaboration], this position requires:

• Ability to present a professional image at all times.
• Ability to deal calmly with unexpected circumstances or delays.
• Discretion and respect for confidentiality.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.