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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
House Bill No. __________ 
Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative 
HON. MANUEL DG. CABOCHAN III 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Article XIII, Section 3 of the 1987 Constitution provides that “the State shall afford 
full protection to labor, local and overseas, organized and unorganized and promote 
full employment and equality of employment opportunities for all.” 
Mature or older workers, whose ages are 40 years and above, also face employment 
discrimination. Private companies view that hiring older workers are disadvantageous 
as they are perceived as less efficient. Despite the passage of Republic Act No. 10911, 
otherwise known as the “Anti-Discrimination in Employment Act”, many mature or 
older workers still face the difficulties in securing job employment. This also affects 
the lowering of the rate of labor force participation.1 
This bill seeks to establish and maintain a training program for mature and older 
workers for participation in the labor force through increasing occupational and 
education skills. The Department of Labor and Employment is mandated to develop 
a job training program for workers with ages 40 years and above. This measure is 
also a recognition of the contributions that mature or older workers could still impart 
in their chosen line of work.  
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this measure is earnestly sought. 
1 Philippine Statistics Authority. Labor Force. Data retrieved from https://psa.gov.ph/content/employment-rate-january-2019-
estimated-948-percent. Dated March 7, 2019 
May 24, 2021
5:20 pm
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MANUEL DG. CABOCHAN III 
Representative 
Magdalo Para Sa Pilipino Party-List 


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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
House Bill No. __________ 
Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative 
HON. MANUEL DG. CABOCHAN III 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING A JOB TRAINING PROGRAM FOR MATURE OR OLDER 
WORKERS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title.– This Act shall be known as the "Mature and Older 
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Workers Act of 2021.”  
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Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy.– It is the policy of the State to afford full 
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protection to labor, local and overseas, organized and unorganized and promote 
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employment and equality of employment opportunities for all. Towards this end, the 
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State shall establish, maintain, and support a training program that will equip mature 
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and older workers with the educational and occupational skills that will improve their 
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employability and productivity 
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Sec. 3. Definition of Terms.– As used in this Act, the term: 
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(a)
Basic Skills Deficient means, with respect to an individual, that the
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individual has English reading or computing skills at or below the 8th
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grade level on a generally accepted standardized test or a comparable
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score on a criterion referenced test;
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(b)  
Case Management means the provision, in the delivery of a service, of 
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a client centered approach designed to: 
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(1) Prepare and coordinate a comprehensive employment plan, such as 
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a service strategy, for a participant to ensure access to a necessary 
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training and support service; and 
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(2) Provide job and career counseling during program participation and 
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after job placement. 
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(c) 
Educational Agency means: 
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(1) A public local school authority having administrative control of 
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elementary, middle or secondary schools or providing adult 
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educations; 
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(2) A public or private institution that provides alternative middle or 
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high school education; 
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(3) A public education institution or agency having administrative 
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control of secondary or post-secondary vocational education 
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programs; or 
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(4) Post-secondary institution 
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(d) 
 Mature or Older Worker means an individual who is 40 years of age or 
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older; 
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(e) 
Participant means an individual who has been determined to be eligible 
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to participate in the program;  
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(f) 
School Dropout means an individual who is no longer attending any 
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school and who has not received a secondary school diploma or a 
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certificate from a program of equivalent for such a diploma; and 
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(g) 
 Termination means the separation of a participant who is no longer 
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receiving services. 
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Sec. 4. Eligibility for Services.– An individual shall be eligible to participate in 
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the program assisted under this part if such individual is forty (40) years of age or 
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older and is included in one or more of the following categories: 
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(a) Individuals whose income is not excess of the poverty line; 
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(b) Individuals who are eligible for housing assistance; or 
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(c) Individuals who are included in two (2) or more of the following categories: 
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(1) Individuals who are unemployed for 15 consecutive weeks; 
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(2) Individuals who are unemployed for 30 consecutive weeks; 
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(3) Individuals who are working 20 or fewer hours a week; 
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(4) Individuals who are displaced homemakers; 
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(5) Individuals who are homeless; 
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(6) Individuals who have finished less than 10 years of school; 
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(7) Individuals who are deficient in basic skills; 
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(8) Individuals who have been notified that the jobs of such; 
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(9) Individuals will be terminated within the next 60 days; or 
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(10) Individuals who live alone. 
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Sec. 5. Program Design. –  
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(A) 
IN GENERAL – PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS – Each program assisted    
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under this Act shall include: 
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(1) An objective assessment, using the case management technique, of the 
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skill levels and service needs of each participant, including such factors as 
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basic skills, occupational skills, prior work experience, employability 
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interests, aptitudes (including interests and aptitudes for non-traditional 
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employment) and supportive service needs, except that a new assessment 
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of a participant is not required if the program determined that a recent 
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assessment of the participant conducted under another education or 
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training program, is an appropriate assessment; 
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(2) The development of service strategies that shall identity the employment 
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goal (including in appropriate circumstances, nontraditional employment), 
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the appropriate achievement objectives, and the appropriate sequence of 
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service for participants, taking into account the assessments conducted 
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under subparagraph (A), except that a new service strategy is not required 
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if the program determines a recent service strategy developed for the 
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participant under another education or training program is an appropriate 
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service strategy; 
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(3) A review of the progress of each participant in meeting the objectives of 
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the service strategy; and 
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(4) Basic skills training and occupational skills training if the assessments and 
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the strategy indicate such training is appropriate. 
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B. 
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS – 
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(1) 
MINIMUM INCOME PARTICIPANTS AND APPLICANTS - Each service 
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delivery area participating in a program assisted under this Act shall ensure 
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that each participant or applicant described in paragraph (a), (b), or (c) of 
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Section 4 shall be provided - 
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(a) Information on the full array of applicable or appropriate services 
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that are available through the service delivery area or other service 
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providers, including providers receiving funds under this Act; and 
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(b) Referral to other appropriate training and educational programs 
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that have the capacity to serve the participant or applicant either on a 
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sequential or concurrent basis. 
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C. 
APPLICANTS NOT MEETING ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENTS –  
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(1) SERVICE PROVIDERS – Each service providers shall ensure that an eligible 
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applicant who does not meet the enrollment requirements of the particular 
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program of the provider shall be referred to the service delivery area for 
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further assessment, as necessary, and referral to appropriate programs to 
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meet the basic skills and training needs of the applicants; 
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(2) SERVICE DELIVERY AREA – The service delivery area shall ensure that 
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appropriate referrals are made under clause (I) and shall maintain records 
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on the referral and the reasons for which applicants are referred. 
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D. 
AUTHORIZED SERVICES - One or more of the following training or supportive 
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services shall be made available to each participant under this Act: 
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(1) 
Outreach and recruitment; 
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(2) 
Intake and assessment; 
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(3) 
Job search assistance; 
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(4) 
Classroom and occupational skills training; 
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(5) 
On-the-job training; 
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(6) 
Work experience; 
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(7) 
Basic and remedial education and literacy training; 
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(8) 
Supplemental services, including day care for dependent children and 
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adults; 
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(9) 
Occupational placement assistance; 
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E. 
SPECIAL RULES –  
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(1) 
SELECTION OF SERVICE PROVIDERS – In the selection of service 
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providers, the Department of Labor and Employment shall give 
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preference to agencies and organizations with demonstrated 
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competence in conducting older and mature worker programs. 
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(2) 
JOB TRAINING PLAN — The Department of Labor and Employment 
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shall develop the job training program under this Act It may seek the 
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assistance of other government agencies such as the Department of 
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Education and the help of private educational agencies. It shall also 
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formulate the necessary implementing rules and regulations that will 
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ensure the efficient and effective implementation of this Act. 
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Sec. 6. Report.– The Secretary shall submit to the President of the Philippines 
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and to both Houses of Congress, not later than the opening of the regular session 
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each year, an annual report on the status of the implementation of this Act. The 
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annual report shall include an analysis, for each province and on a nationwide basis 
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of the number of participants served under this Act, and the type of services under 
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this Act received by participants. 
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Sec. 7. Separability Clause.– If any provision, or part hereof is held invalid or 
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unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected 
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shall remain valid and subsisting. 
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Sec. 8. Repealing Clause.– Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
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order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or 
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inconsistent with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended 
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accordingly. 
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Sec. 9. Effectivity Clause.– This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
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publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
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Approved,