Sandro Marcos wants new grads to get transcripts, diplomas for free

A bill mandating state-run and private higher educational institutions to provide employment application documents for their respective graduates within 12 months of their graduation at no cost has been filed at the House of Representatives.

House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos made the proposal under his House Bill 8701 or the Academic and Labor Pathways Assistance for Students (ALPAS) which requires colleges and universities to provide graduates with free copies of transcripts of records, diplomas, certificates of graduation and other employment requirements.

Specifically, the bill provides that new graduates be given at least five free copies of their transcript of records or certificate of graduation, as well as certified true copies of their diploma. It also allows an additional set of copies available within 12 months with no charge for administrative, processing, or certification fees.

“Unemployment and underemployment continue to pose significant challenges in the Philippine labor market... For many graduates, the journey towards employment begins with completing documentary requirements for job applications, and obtaining multiple copies of these documents can involve additional costs and time-consuming procedures,” Marcos said in the explanatory note of the measure.

“This [proposed] measure seeks to strengthen that transition by addressing practical barriers encountered at the earliest stage of the job-seeking process, ensuring that graduates can transition effectively from education to the workforce,” he added.

Likewise, the same measure requires higher education institutions to establish a digital academic records system that will allow graduates to request, process, and obtain their documents online.

“By making essential academic records more accessible and improving the efficiency of records processing systems in higher education institutions, this measure helps ensure that Filipino graduates are better equipped to pursue employment opportunities and contribute meaningfully to the nation’s workforce,” Marcos said.

Last March 13,  Deputy National Statistician Divina Gracia del Prado announced that unemployed individuals, ages 15 and above, swelled to 2.96 million in the first month of the year from 2.26 million in December 2025 and 2.17 million in January 2025. —KG, GMA Integrated News