MANILA,
Philippines — More than half a million
students have just graduated from college, and millions more have finished high
school or technical or vocational courses. All of them will join the growing army of jobseekers.
Their
pursuit of employment will be difficult. The National Statistics Office
reported that as of January, 2012, the Philippines’ unemployment rate stood at
7.2 percent, down from 7.4 percent in the same month in 2011.
Although
I find it hard to believe that our unemployment rate was lower than that of the
United States (8.3 percent as of February 2012), the 7.2 percent still
translates to more than 2.9 million jobless Filipinos out of our 40.3-million
labor force.
The
Department of Labor and Employment, in partnership with the private sector, is
conducting more than 200 job fairs in the second quarter to bring together
companies that are hiring workers and graduates looking for jobs.
That’s
the good news, although I doubt that a majority of jobseekers trooping to the
fairs will be able to find employment. Besides, the process of getting hired
entails additional expenses to the jobseekers, particularly the new graduates.
It’s
ironic that young people who just graduated from college, high school, and
technical schools, which should have ended years of financial struggle for many
families, must come up with more money when they apply for jobs.
For
example, a clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), a
standard requirement that applicants must submit, costs at least P115. And
getting an NBI clearance is a physical strain. It takes at least a whole day to
get it, if the applicant lines up at the NBI offices before dawn.
Each
job applicant is also required to submit a police clearance, which also means
lining up for many hours. In Quezon City, an applicant pays a fee of P100 and
another P50 for his or her photograph, which is taken in the police office
premises. And in addition to fees imposed by government agencies, fresh
graduates also spend substantial amounts to obtain certifications, such as for
diplomas, transcripts of records, identification cards, and numerous
photocopies of required documents.
Graduates
who come from well-to-do or well-connected families or those with their own
businesses may not have to go through with these costly fees and time-consuming
and physically draining processes just to be able to apply for jobs, but these
are the reality for most of the fresh graduates.
I have
filed a Senate bill aimed at reducing the financial burden that fresh graduates
carry by waiving government fees and charges, which are collected in connection
with requirements for employment.
Under
the Senate Bill No. 2968, the Fresh Graduates Pre-Employment Assistance Act,
all government agencies, including government-owned and controlled corporations
and local government units, are prevented from collecting fees from a person
applying for license, proof of identification, clearance, certificate, or other
document within one year after graduating from high school, college, or any
vocational or technical course.
Finding
a job is very difficult with the limited opportunities out there. The
government makes it more difficult by imposing fees for clearances, IDs, and
certifications, among others. By waiving these fees, we are also giving the
family a break after paying for the costly tertiary education.
To
avail of the waiver, a citizen must submit to the agency concerned a copy of
his or her diploma, certification, or communication from the academic,
vocational, or technical institution attesting that such person has indeed
successfully completed the course required.
The
fees to be waived do not include those collected in connection with the
granting of a professional license by the Professional Regulations Commission
and with applications for passports.
Applying
for jobs should not be a traumatic experience for fresh graduates. The waiver
of government fees under Senate Bill No. 2968 will show them that their
government is keen on promoting their interest.
The
government, for its part, should not consider the waiver of fees as a loss of
revenue, but as an investment in its emerging productive segment of the
population, which will eventually be part of its revenue base.
SENATOR
MANNY B. VILLAR
mb.com.ph
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programmes. Many thanks for visiting www.yourvietnamexpert.com and/or contacting us at contact@yourvietnamexpert.com
No comments:
Post a Comment