The House Committee on Poverty Alleviation chaired by 1-PACMAN Party-list Rep. Michael Romero approved the substitute bill consolidating the nine bills providing indigent job seekers a 20-percent discount in the payment of fees and charges for certain government certificates and clearances.
The corresponding committee report was also approved.
The nine measures on the subject are House Bills 367, 2533, 3048, 3533, 3604, 4762, 4828, 5553 and 5792 authored by Reps. Marissa ‘Del Mar’ Magsino, Lani Mercado-Revilla, Paolo Duterte, Oscar Malapitan, Ralph Wendel Tulfo, Ernesto Dionisio Jr., Samuel Verzosa Jr., Deputy Speaker Raymond Democrito Mendoza, and Rep. Gus Tambunting, respectively.
The Technical Working Group (TWG) that crafted the substitute bill also made refinements to the proposal, such as replacing “job applicants” with “job seekers” and retitling the measure as the ‘Kabalikat sa Hanapbuhay Act.” Pampanga 4th District Representative Anna York Bondoc headed the TWG.
“The 20 percent discount on fees and charges shall be applied for barangay clearance; NBI clearance; police clearance; medical certificate; CSC certificate of eligibility; and other documentary requirements issued by the government.”
Under the bill, the 20 percent discount on fees and charges shall be applied for barangay clearance; NBI clearance; police clearance; medical certificate; CSC certificate of eligibility; and other documentary requirements issued by the government that may be required by employers from indigent job seekers, as determined and approved by the Inter-Agency Coordinating and Monitoring Committee established in Section 9 of the proposed Act.
Romero believes that the substitute bill “will be one of the landmark bills and laws of this 19th Congress.”
The panel also named Verzosa as the head of the TWG that will consolidate HBs 131, 5562, 5753, 6602, granting 50 percent discount on funeral services to indigent families, along with HBs 3678, 5184, and 7184, providing for funeral assistance to indigent families.
