DOLE: Police, NBI clearances important for employers’ background checks on applicants

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma on Thursday said that police and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearances are important for employers conducting background checks on applicants and employees.

Laguesma issued the remark after Albay Representative Joey Salceda urged that police and NBI clearances no longer be required for employment, following the recent report of a supposed leak of the Philippine National Police (PNP) database that may have compromised 1.2 million records of employees and applicants.

“Mayroong advantage at saka disadvantage din po yan kasi mayroon din pong mga employers, kompanya o grupo na hanap nila na walang masamang record din na manggagawa na tatanggapin nila, bahagi rin po yun sa tinatawag na due diligence sa kanilang bahagi,” the DOLE secretary said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(There is an advantage and also a disadvantage because there are also employers, companies or groups that are looking for workers with no bad records, and it is also part of the so-called due diligence on their part.)

According to a report from Jeremiah Fowler at vpnmentor.com, the leaked data include documents showing people's academic and personal history.

These include birth certificates, educational record transcripts, diplomas, tax filing records, passports and police identification cards. Copies of fingerprint scans, signatures, and required documents were also found.

The PNP said it is coordinating with the Department of Information and Communications Technology to ensure the “security, safety, and privacy of information in the custody of the PNP to strictly comply with the provisions of the Data Privacy Act.”

Fee exemption

Laguesma also said that under the law, those first-time job seekers are exempted from paying fees for government-issued documents.

“Mahalaga din po siguro makita rin ng ating mga aplikante, siguro sa job fair dahil hindi ka naman po tatanggapin agad o unless ikaw ay hired on the spot at hahanapan ka agad ng NBI clearance eh hindi po ba maganda kumpleto ka agad ng documentation,” he said.

(Maybe it's also important for our applicants to see, maybe at the job fair because you won't be accepted right away unless you're hired on the spot and they'll look for NBI clearance right away, isn't it nice that you complete the documentation right away.)

“Kung ikaw ay first time job seeker sa ilalim ng batas na umiiral eh libre naman po yung mga clearances na ganyan sa kukunin mo sa government agencies,” he added.

(If you are a first-time job seeker under the existing law, the clearances you get from government agencies are free.)

In May 2019, then-president Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11261 or the First Time Job Seekers Assistance Act.

Under the law, proof of being a first-time jobseeker in the form of a barangay clearance is required for a person to avail of the exemption from payment of fees. — BM, GMA Integrated News