MANILA, Philippines – Under a new law, first-time job applicants no longer have to pay fees for government documents required for employment.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11261 or the First Time Job Seekers Assistance Act on April 10. Malacañang made it public on Tuesday, May 7.

Under the new law, national and local government entities must not collect fees from first-time job seekers when they apply for government documents needed for employment in the country or abroad.

The following government documents are covered:

• Police clearance certificate
• National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance
• Barangay clearance
• Medical certificate from a public hospital (fees and charges for laboratory tests and other medical procedures will not be waived)
• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate
• Transcript of academic records issued by state colleges and universities
• Tax Identification Number (TIN)
• Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID) card
• Other documentary requirements issued by the government that may be required by employers from job applicants

Exceptions

Government fees for applications to take professional licensure examinations conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission are not covered by RA 11261.

First-time job applicants must also still pay fees for application for Philippine passport authentication and application for a Career Service Examination with the Civil Service Commission.

Fees for application for a driver’s license are also not among the fees to be waived.

A job seeker can only avail of the privilege once. To monitor this, government agencies are ordered to keep a roster of all persons who have benefited from the new law.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology is to keep a database of all these individuals. – Rappler.com