Senator Sonny Angara is pushing for the passage of a bill that seeks to grant benefits and incentives to fresh graduates to help them land a job.
Senate Bill No. 1629 provides that new graduates and first time job seekers will no longer need to pay government fees and charges on the issuance of documents required for job applications.
“This would ease the burden and make easier the process of applying for a job,” said Angara, principal author of the bill and the vice chairman of the Senate labor committee.
Under the proposed measure, no fees shall be collected for the following documents: police clearance certificate, National Bureau of Investigation clearance, barangay clearance, medical certificate from public hospitals, birth and marriage certificates, tax identification number, unified multi-purpose ID card, and other documentary requirements issued by the government that may be required by employers.
Those who can avail of the incentive are new graduates who completed the K-12 program, a bachelor’s degree, or a technical-vocational course from any school, college, university, or technical-vocational institution in the country.
Students taking a leave of absence or those working part-time while enrolled are also qualified to avail of the benefits.
“The Public Employment Service Office in every province, city or municipality should serve as a one-stop-shop for applicants,” Angara said.
The proposed bill mandates PESOs to assist first time job seekers in securing all required documents for their job application as well as in registering or enrolling them with relevant government agencies such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Social Security System, Pag-Ibig, and PhilHealth, among others.