Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 21) — Senator Jinggoy Estrada has filed a bill seeking to grant 20% discount on fees for government-issued pre-employment documents for indigent jobseekers.
Among the documents mentioned in Estrada’s Senate Bill No. 47 are:
– barangay clearance
– clearances from the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation
– marriage certificate and birth certificate from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
– transcript of records and authenticated copy of diploma from state universities and colleges
– medical certificate for local employment from any government hospital licensed by the Department of Health
– certificate of civil service eligibility from the Civil Service Commission
– national certificate and certificate of competency issued by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
According to the bill, those qualified to get the discount must be certified by the PSA to be living below the poverty threshold. Beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program may avail of the discount once every six months.
“Para sa mga mahihirap nating kababayan na pinagsisikapan na itaguyod ang kanilang sarili o pamilya, mabigat sa bulsa ang mga bayarin sa mga dokumentong kailangan nilang isumite. Ang kakarampot nilang gastusin sa pang araw-araw ay nababawasan pa sa pagkuha ng clearances at certificates,” Estrada said in a statement Sunday.
[Translation: For our kababayans who are struggling, the fees for documents they need to submit are an added burden. What little they have to spend every day will have to be used to pay for clearances and certificates.]
