Free barangay clearance, free National Bureau of Investigation clearance, free police
clearance and free medical certificates from government hospitals, clinics or
health centers. Who don't want free now a days? But hey, this is only for indigent job-seeker.
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| Rep. Anthony G. Del Rosario |
This is what Rep. Anthony G. Del Rosario of Davao del Norte is aiming for authoring House Bill 6178. According to Del Rosario, there is still a large segment of the population who cannot liberate
themselves from the bondage of poverty because of the lack of employment
opportunities.
The Mindanao solon said that while these poor people are capable of
work, there are limited jobs available for them thus preventing them
from escaping poverty.
Under House Bill 6178, indigent persons are exempted from paying fees in
securing or processing documents for employments purposes. Del Rosario said exempting indigents once a year from paying any fees
when securing clearances and certifications from government offices will
lessen the financial burden on the less fortunate but still
capable-of-work people.
Under the bill, it defines the indigent as a person who has no visible means of
income or whose income is insufficient for the subsistence of his family
based on the criteria set under the National Household Targeting System
for Poverty Reduction as certified by the barangay and validated by the
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
My Verdict
This bill has its positive and negative impact. I agree that this will be a great help to our less fortunate countrymen because they will not have to spend anything that an employer requires them to submit before they will be hired.
If I remembered it right, an NBI Clearance cost about 150 pesos and a police clearance is about 100 pesos. Medical certificate cost about 500 to 700 pesos. Barangay certificate cost something like 60 pesos. Some employers even requires Mayor's permit that may cost about 300. This means that a job-seeker have to spend more than 1000 pesos before landing a job. But if House Bill 6178 will pass into law, securing pre-employment requirement will be less a burden.
On the other side, I hope Del Rosario has a ready answer on where and how to offset the lose income coming from this government issued certificates and clearances.
