Soco: Waive clearance fees for jobseekers

CEBU, Philippines —  The Cebu Provincial Board has approved Monday a resolution strongly appealing to different local government units and other government agencies concerned to waive payment of fees on clearances needed for jobseekers.

The move aims to provide incentives to jobseekers who have lost their employment brought by the pandemic for a year now.

PB Member Glenn Anthony Soco who sponsored the resolution said that most of those who have lost their jobs are beginning to explore job opportunities as economies start to open and businesses begin to return to their operations.

Soco said that despite the promise and hope of better months to come, jobseekers are constrained to comply and submit the necessary documents to would-be or prospective employers while new hires are required to complete requirements before they shall be admitted.

“Needless to say, it is quite inconsiderate and even oppressive to compel displaced workers who are in pursuit of new employment to shell out at least a thousand pesos in order to comply and be given the option to land another job,” said Soco.

Most employers would ask applicants for documents from government offices such as barangay clearance and National Bureau of Investigation clearance for work or employment purposes, community tax certificate, certificate of birth, certificate of marriage, police clearance, among others, all have corresponding fees.

“It is evident that a jobseeker without a few hundred pesos can never find a job for the primary reason that he/she cannot

comply with the documentary requirements of the employer,” Soco said.

Republic Act 11261, or an Act Waiving Government Fees and Charges in the Issuance of Documents Required in the Application for Employment of First Time Jobseekers was enacted in 2019.

However, Soco said this law only pertains to first time job applicants but not the displaced workers during this unprecedented pandemic.

Soco added that their appeal to all LGUs and other government agencies and offices will not only encourage displaced workers to seek jobs anew, but at the same time, it shall boost the morale of these individuals as they begin to recover from the negativities and challenges experienced.

In a separate resolution, the PB is also urging all Public Employment Service Offices (PESO) to intensify their efforts in strengthening and expanding employment facilitation and services machinery in accordance with their mandate under R.A. 8759.

Soco, who also sponsored the resolution, said that to facilitate a centralized and comprehensive program which serves as a venue for job applicants to seek various employment options and eventually land a job, is a stepping stone for the economy to bounce back.  (FREEMAN)