Press Release
July 29, 2016

POE: EXEMPT FRESH GRADS FROM DOCUMENT FEES NEEDED FOR EMPLOYMENT

Sen. Grace Poe has filed a bill seeking to exempt fresh graduates from paying burdensome fees for government documents which are required for employment.

"Sa hirap maghanap ng trabaho, hindi naman makatarungang lalo pa nating pahirapan ang mga bagong graduate sa pagkuha at pagbabayad ng mga dokumentong kanilang kailangan," Poe emphasized.

Senate Bill (SB) 343 or the proposed Fresh Graduates Pre-employment Assistance Act provides that all government agencies including state-owned and -controlled corporations and local government units shall not collect fees from fresh graduates for pre-employment documents including NBI, police and barangay clearances, and proofs of identification such as postal ID.

Poe said that many fresh graduates aspiring to land a decent job find themselves financially constrained by voluminous requirements, impeding their search for employment.

"Magpakita naman tayo ng malasakit," Poe said, "Matapos malubog ng kanilang pamilya sa utang para maitawid ang kanilang pag-aaral, haharapin naman nila ang napakaraming bayarin sa pagkuha pa lamang ng mga kailangang dokumento."

To be qualified for the waiver, the applicant must show his diploma, certification or any document proving his recent graduation from high school, college or vocational course.

The Commission on Higher Education, Civil Service Commission and the Department of Interior and Local Government will issue the rules and regulations of the said bill.

The waiver must not be taken as a loss of revenue for the government, but as an investment in labor force, which is in its best interest to protect and promote, Poe said in her bill's explanatory note.

Based on a Commission on Higher Education report, an average of 542,000 college students graduate every year from 2010 to 2014.

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