Retired and soon-to-retire government employees can now look forward to more productive years beyond government service.
This developed after the House of Representatives, voting 237-0 without abstention, approved on third and final reading House Bill 7445, which seeks to develop entrepreneurship skills of government employees to prepare them for better economic opportunities after working with government.
The bill, principally authored by Rep. Victoria Isabel Noel, aims to ensure continuous flow of innovative and development-oriented government programs and projects for entrepreneurial development and promote the creativity of highly competitive and resourceful government employees.
To achieve this, the bill mandates all government offices and agencies to prepare and implement a post-service Government Service Entrepreneurship Development Program (GSEDP) for their employees based on guidelines to be prescribed by the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
Under the GSEDP employees would be introduced to technology transfer systems, entrepreneurial educational programs, entrepreneurial networks, financial literacy and livelihood trainings/seminars, as part of the agency’s annual training plan.
Intensive preparatory activities and learning modules shall start five years prior to the retirement date of the government employee.
The measure also mandates all government agencies to promote and support the establishment by their employees of savings and loan associations, and cooperatives with the assistance of the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA).
Cooperatives and savings and loan associations are encouraged to retain the membership of employees even after retirement from public service.
The bill also directs heads of all government agencies, including government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) concerned to coordinate with existing government financial institutions (GFIs) in providing sources of financing for viable income-generating projects of their retired employees.
While all GFIs are mandated to set aside funds for this purpose, such financing assistance is subject to the mandate of the GFI concerned and existing banking laws and regulations, where applicable.
The bill also requires experts from the GFIs to conduct lectures, workshops in capacity building for entrepreneurship skills and live case studies of successful entrepreneurs.
The Civil Service Commission (CSC) is tasked to be the lead agency in the preparation, implementation, and monitoring of a comprehensive plan for the government employees’ entrepreneurial development.
All government agencies are required to prepare and submit to the CSC a comprehensive plan to develop entrepreneurial capabilities, managerial expertise financial planning and technical skills of its retiring employees, including the fund sources thereof.
The bill also tasks all government agencies to extend post-service assistance to their respective retirees, which includes follow-up programs after the business has been set up in order to ensure its profitability and sustainability.
The amount necessary for the initial implementation of the law shall be taken from the current appropriations of each government agency and GOCC.