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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Batasan Hills, Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO.  3324 
Introduced by 4Ps Partylist Representatives 
JC M. ABALOS and MARCELINO C. LIBANAN 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
According to the April 2025 Labor Force Survey of the Philippine Statistics 
Authority (PSA), the country’s unemployment rate was estimated at 4.1% or 2.06 
million Filipinos, which is slightly higher that the April 2024 unemployment rate of 
4% or 2.04 million Filipinos. With the increase in the rate of unemployment, the 
government should provide mechanisms to encourage job seekers to find gainful 
employment. 
While we understand the need for submission of pre-employment 
requirements such as certificates and clearances from government agencies to ensure 
the competency and character of a job seeker, these requirements become deterrents 
for indigent job seekers to pursue employment as requests for certificates and 
clearances entail fees that they could not afford., Thus, this bill aims to reduce some 
of the burdens that aggravate indigent job seekers in seeking gainful employment. 
Under the proposed measure, government agencies that are authorized to issue 
clearances, certificates, and other documentary requirements that may be required by 
employers from indigent job seekers are mandated to waive or discount payment of 
fees and charges. 
August 7, 2025
8:00 am


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This bill was previously approved on Third Reading during the 19th Congress 
and was transmitted to the Senate for proper action. 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Batasan Hills, Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO.  3324 
Introduced by 4Ps Partylist Representatives 
JC M. ABALOS and MARCELINO C. LIBANAN 
AN ACT 
 PROVIDING INDIGENT JOB SEEKERS, DISCOUNTED OR WAIVED FEES 
AND CHARGES IN THE ISSUANCE OF CERTAIN PRE-EMPLOYMENT 
DOCUMENTS ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES 
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 “Kabalikat sa 
Hanapbuhay Act”. 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the policy of the State to promote a just 
and dynamic order that will ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation 
and free the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate social 
services, promote full employment, a rising standard of living, and an improved 
quality of life for all. 
Further, the State shall strive for a more equitable distribution of opportunities, 
decent jobs, income, and wealth; a sustained increase in the amount of goods and 
services produced by the nation for the benefit of the people, and an expanding 
productivity as the key to raising the quality of life for all, especially the 
underprivileged.  To this end, the State shall provide indigent job seekers a twenty 
percent (20%) discount in the payment of fees and charges or waived fees for certain 
certificates and clearances issued by government agencies. 
SEC. 3. Identification of Beneficiaries. – As used in this Act, an indigent job 
seeker refers to a person who is seeking gainful employment and has no visible means 


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of income or whose income falls below the official poverty threshold, as identified by 
the National Economic and Development Authority and/or cannot afford in a 
sustained manner to provide their minimum basic needs of food, health, education, 
housing and other essential amenities of life. 
 
The PSA, based on the criteria set under the Community-Based Monitoring 
System (CBMS) as established under Republic Act No. 11315, otherwise known as the 
“Community-Based Monitoring System Act”, shall validate the list of indigent 
households in the Listahanan of the Department of Social Welfare and Development  
identify indigent individuals. The Local Social Welfare Development Officer 
(LSWDO) of the city/municipality or any equivalent unit of the municipality where 
the indigent job seeker resides is authorized to issue a Certificate of Indigency based 
on the latest CBMS data, abovementioned criteria and established guidelines, as proof 
of eligibility of job seekers in availing the privileges provided for under this Act. Such 
certification shall be free of charge. 
 
For purposes of identifying indigent job seekers, any other unified targeting 
system duly agreed upon by the Inter-Agency Coordinating and Monitoring 
Committee may be used in the future. 
 
An indigent job seeker whose household is enrolled under the seven-year 
period “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program” (4Ps), shall be automatically considered 
as “indigent” and eligible to avail of the privileges under this Act. 
 
First time job seekers who avail of waived government fees and charges in the 
issuance of pre-employment documents under Republic Act No. 1126, otherwise 
known as the “First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act” are not covered by this Act. 
 
SEC. 4. Twenty Percent (20%) Discount on Fees and Charges for Clearances 
and Certificates. – Indigent job seekers, whether here or abroad, shall be granted a 
twenty percent (20%) discount in the payment of fees and charges for the following 
clearances and certificates requisite for pre-employment application: 
 
(a)  Clearance from the barangay where the job seeker resides; 
 
(b)  Clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI); 
 
(c)   National Police Clearance from the Philippine National Police (PNP); 
 
(d)  Medical certificate for local employment from any government hospital 
licensed by the Department of Health (DOH), and medical certificate for foreign 
employment from any DOH-accredited medical facility for overseas workers 
and seafarers; 
 
(e)  Certificate of marriage from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA); 
 


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(f) Certificate of live birth from the PSA; 
 
(g) National Certificate and Certificate of Competency (COC) from the 
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); 
 
(h)  Certificate of Civil Service Eligibility from the Civil Service Commission 
(CSC); and 
 
(i) 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 6 of this Act. 
 
SEC. 5. Waiver of Fees and Charges for Pre-Employment Documents. – The fees 
and charges required to acquire the following pre-employment documents and cards 
shall be waived: 
(a) Tax Identification Number from the Bureau of Internal Revenue; and 
 
(b)  Transcript of Records, Transfer Credentials, Authenticated Copy of 
Diploma, and Certificate of Good Moral Character from the State Universities 
and Colleges, and Local Universities and Colleges of the job seeker.  
 
The indigent job seeker may avail of the privileges of waived or discounted fees 
under this Act only once every six (6) months from each government agency. 
 
SEC. 6. Prohibited Acts and Penalties. – (a) Any public officer or employee 
who refuses or fails to issue a Certificate of Indigency, or to provide the benefit granted 
to the indigent job seeker in violation of Sections 4 and 5 of this Act shall, upon 
conviction, be subject to a fine of not less than Five thousand pesos (P5,000) but not 
more than twenty thousand pesos (P20,000). The penalty of temporary 
disqualification to hold public office for a period of five (5) years shall also be imposed. 
 
(b) A job seeker who misrepresents or falsifies any document to avail of benefits 
provided under this Act or abuses the privilege granted herein shall be prosecuted 
and punished in accordance with the pertinent provisions of Republic Act No. 3815, 
as amended, otherwise known as the “Revised Penal Code”, and shall suffer perpetual 
disqualification in availing the privileges under this Act. 
 
Administrative sanctions shall be imposed without prejudice to prosecution as 
provided for in this Act. 
 
Prosecution for an offense set forth in this Act shall be without prejudice to any 
liability for violation of any other existing laws, including civil service law, rules and 
regulations. 
 


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SEC. 7.  Indigent Job Seekers Database. – The Public Employment Service 
Office in coordination with the LSWDO shall establish and maintain a database 
system containing an updated roster of all indigent job seekers who availed of the 
benefits under this Act. 
The PhilJobnet platform of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 
shall serve as the monitoring mechanism to record, monitor, and report the availment 
of the benefits granted to indigent job seekers. 
 
SEC. 8. Non-Authority to Charge Fees. – Other government agencies that do 
not charge fees in relation to the discharge of their functions cannot use this law to 
impose fees if no such authority is granted under their respective charter or other 
relevant laws. 
 
SEC. 9. Interagency Coordinating and Monitoring Committee. – An 
Interagency Coordinating and Monitoring Committee, hereinafter referred to as the 
Committee, shall be established to coordinate and monitor the implementation of this 
Act. 
 
The Committee shall be composed of the Secretary of the Labor and 
Employment or the authorized representative, as Chairperson; Secretary of Interior 
and Local Government or his authorized representative, as Vice Chairperson; and the 
following as members: Secretary of Migrant Workers or his authorized representative; 
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General of the PSA or his authorized 
representative; Chief of the PNP or his authorized representative; Director of the NBI 
or his authorized representative; Secretary of DOH or his authorized representative; 
Chairperson of the Commission on Civil Service (CSC) or his authorized 
representative; Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) or his 
authorized 
representative; 
Director-General 
of 
TESDA 
or 
his 
authorized 
representative; Presidents of the Liga ng mga Barangay, League of Municipalities of 
the Philippines, and League of Cities of the Philippines or their authorized 
representatives; Lead Convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) or 
his authorized representative; and Chairperson of the National Commission on 
Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) or his authored representative. 
The Committee shall have the following functions: 
 
(a) To coordinate, monitor and evaluate the implementation of this Act; 
 
(b) To make recommendations for concerned agencies to ensure the effective 
and efficient delivery of services in providing the benefits for indigent job 
seekers under this Act; 
 
(c) To identify and approve other pre-employment certificates and clearances; 
 
(d) To invite other agencies to be members of the Committee; 
 


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(e) To review, evaluate, and amend accordingly the clearances and certificates 
covered under this Act; and 
 
(f) To submit an annual report to Congress on the implementation of this Act. 
 
SEC. 10. Joint Congressional Oversight Committee. -  Upon the effectivity of 
this Act, a  Joint Congressional Oversight Committee is hereby constituted.  The JCOC 
shall set the overall framework to review the implementation of this Act.  It shall 
likewise recommend necessary remedial legislation, for a period not exceeding three 
(3) years. 
 
The JCOC shall be composed of fourteen (14) members with the chairpersons 
of the Committee on Poverty Alleviation of the House of Representatives, and of the 
Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development of the Senate as Co-
Chairpersons, and six (6) members from each House, to be designated by the Speaker 
of the House of Representatives, and the Senate President, respectively. 
 
The Secretariat of the JCOC shall be drawn from the existing personnel of the 
Committee on Poverty Alleviation of the House of Representatives, and the 
Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development of the Senate. 
 
SEC. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within six (6) months after the 
effectivity of this Act, the DOLE shall, in consultation with the Department of the 
Interior and Local Government, Department of Migrant Workers, PSA, PNP, NBI, 
DOH, CSC, CHED, TESDA, Leagues of Barangay, Municipalities, and Cities, NAPC 
and NCIP, promulgate the rules and regulations to implement this Act. 
 
SEC. 12. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part of this Act is held 
invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions hereof, not otherwise 
affected, shall remain in full force and effect. 
 
SEC. 13.  Repealing Clause. – Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary 
to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, amended or 
modified accordingly. 
 
SEC. 14. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
 
Approved.