On the first day of his second term in the Senate, Senator Bong Go filed a measure seeking to ease the financial burden on indigent Filipinos applying for work by granting them waived or discounted fees for essential government-issued pre-employment documents.
The proposal, titled the Indigent Jobseekers Assistance Act of 2025, aims to provide practical and targeted support to disadvantaged job seekers struggling with documentation costs.
In the bill’s explanatory note, Go explained that the measure seeks to plug the gaps left by existing laws and expand the scope of assistance to cover more vulnerable Filipinos.
The veteran legislator emphasized that this initiative seeks to address gaps in the existing First-Time Jobseekers Assistance Act and extend support to indigent applicants regardless of whether they are seeking employment for the first time.
“Financial constraints and the high cost of pre-employment requirements shall not be a hindrance to any indigent Filipino job seeker to secure a decent job to succeed in life.”
“Financial constraints and the high cost of pre-employment requirements shall not be a hindrance to any indigent Filipino job seeker to secure a decent job to succeed in life,” the senator said.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the country’s unemployment rate as of April 2025 stands at 4.1%, or around 2.06 million jobless Filipinos.
Go underscored the urgency of alleviating the burdens faced by job seekers, saying, “As a commitment to help the Filipino people, policies and legislation should be enacted to support Filipinos in uplifting their quality of life through employment opportunities.”
He elaborated that acquiring essential employment documents–including clearances and certificates–can be costly and exclusionary for those who are financially constrained.
“The process of securing employment often entails obtaining various pre-employment documents, such as clearances, certificates, and permits,” Go explained.
“Unfortunately, the financial burden associated with acquiring these documents can disproportionately affect indigent job seekers, limiting their access to opportunities for stable employment,” he added.
While acknowledging the value of Republic Act No. 11261, or the First-Time Jobseekers Assistance Act, Go noted that the law “does not cover the needs of indigent job seekers who may not qualify as first-time job applicants but still require financial assistance.”
The proposed legislation therefore offers a new support mechanism by allowing indigent job seekers to avail themselves of waived or discounted government fees every six months per agency.
“This would ensure that individuals from economically disadvantaged backgrounds are not excluded from employment opportunities due to their inability to afford the necessary pre-employment documents,” he wrote.
“By providing discounted or waived fees, government agencies can help level the playing field and promote equal opportunities for all job seekers.”
“By providing discounted or waived fees, government agencies can help level the playing field and promote equal opportunities for all job seekers, and create an equitable society where every Filipino has a fair chance to access meaningful employment regardless of their socioeconomic background,” Go added.
Under the bill, eligible individuals are those whose income falls below the official poverty threshold, as validated by the PSA using the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) under RA 11315. Certification of indigency will be issued by the Local Social Welfare Development Officer (LSWDO) or an equivalent municipal unit, free of charge.
Beneficiaries enrolled under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) are automatically covered.
The proposal grants a twenty percent (20%) discount to indigent job seekers on the following: barangay clearance; National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance; National Police Clearance from the Philippine National Police (PNP); medical certificates for local employment from any Department of Health (DOH)-licensed hospital and for overseas employment from any DOH-accredited medical facility; certificates of birth and marriage from the PSA; National Certificates and Certificates of Competency (COC) issued by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); and Civil Service Eligibility certificates from the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
If passed, the bill also allows discounts on any other government-issued documents that may be required by employers, as determined by the Inter-Agency Coordinating and Monitoring Committee.
The measure further provides that indigent applicants will not be charged fees for obtaining a Tax Identification Number (TIN) from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), as well as for requesting transcripts of records, transfer credentials, authenticated copies of diplomas, and certificates of good moral character from state universities and colleges (SUCs) or local universities and colleges (LUCs).
These privileges–both discounted and waived–may be availed of once every six months per agency.
The measure also imposes penalties on government employees who unlawfully deny these benefits or refuse to issue indigency certificates. Public officials found guilty of violating the law may face fines ranging from P5,000 to P20,000 and a five-year disqualification from holding public office.
Misrepresentation by applicants may result in criminal prosecution under the Revised Penal Code and perpetual disqualification from availing of the law’s benefits.
Furthermore, the bill mandates the Public Employment Service Office, in coordination with the LSWDO, to maintain a database of indigent job seekers who have availed of the benefits. The Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) PhilJobNet will be used to track and monitor the implementation.
Government agencies currently not authorized to collect fees for certain services will also be barred from using the new law as grounds to impose new charges.
“Bigyan natin ng sapat na tulong at oportunidad ang mahihirap na umasenso. Kung maisabatas, mas matutulungan natin ang ating mga kababayan na makahanap ng trabaho at makapagbigay ng kontribusyon sa ating ekonomiya,” Go stressed.
To date, he has authored 19 laws and principally sponsored 94 laws, including 92 measures that establish or upgrade public hospitals nationwide — underscoring his longstanding commitment to improving healthcare access. Go has also co-authored or co-sponsored 191 other laws in pursuit of the welfare of various sectors.
“For my second term, with all sincerity, I will continue to push for pro-poor programs and laws, especially on health. Health is wealth. We must collaborate to bring quality medical services closer to our people, particularly the poor and indigent patients. Ang kalusugan ay katumbas ng buhay ng bawat Pilipino,” he declared during his proclamation as a re-elected senator on May 17.
