Section 3
SEC. 3. The Institute shall have the following powers and functions: To serve as a staff training center for officials and employees of the Department of Labor; To develop and publish manuals for the guidance of all officials of the Department of Labor in all levels of labor and manpower administration; To prepare and conduct, singly or in cooperation with government and private training institutions, management development and professional upgrading courses for personnel of the Department of Labor and other government agencies, as well as members of workers' and employers' organizations; To serve as national clearing house of information on labor and management policy; To undertake researches and studies in all areas of labor and manpower administration and policy, including labor standards, labor relations, occupational health and safety, manpower development and placement and other subjects related thereto; To undertake, or authorize the undertaking and funding, of operations for the purpose of gathering information in aid of the foregoing functions; To enter into agreements with international or bilateral agencies for the carrying out of the foregoing functions; and To expand the scope of its research interest into the countries of Southeast Asia, particularly the ASEAN Sub-region.