EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
iF'-BUice of £(jr a r.n  larp
SENATE
■19 
JUL-4 A 9 OO
Introduced by SENATOR RONALD "BATO" DELA ROSA
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A 30B TRAINING PROGRAM FOR MATURE OR OLDER 
WORKERS
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The 1987 Philippine Constitution, Article XIII, Section 3 thereof, states
'The State shall afford full protection to labor, local and overseas, 
organized and unorganized, and promote full employment and equality 
o f employment opportunities for all. x  x  x "
According to the latest report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), 
Philippine labor force participation rate dropped to 60.2% in January from 62.2%.
This may be affected by the ageing Philippine population. The employability of 
older adults is a main concern. Job loss is an inexorable phenomenon and the mature 
and older adults are the most affected by this occurrence. Companies see hiring older 
workers as disadvantage because they are perceived as less efficient and flexible than 
their younger counterparts.1 However, older and mature workers are recognized with 
greater loyalty, stronger work ethics, with invaluable experience and established 
networks of contacts and clients.2
1Counterparts 
attitudes 
towards 
employing 
older 
workers. 
9 
July 
2009. 
https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/article/2009/com pany-attitudes-towards-em ploying-older-workers.
2 Ibid.
Retrieved


With the decreasing labor force participation, it is necessary for older people to 
stay in the labor market.
It is for this reason that the bill seeks to establish programs to prepare mature 
or older workers for participation in the labor force through increasing of occupational 
and educational skills for the improvement of long-term employability, increased 
employment and earnings. The measure was filed by Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito 
in the seventeenth Congress.
In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly sought.
RONALD "
PELA ROSA


w
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
o l (Ijf J3; ;r a n r |*
SENATE
‘19 
JUL-4 A 9 30
S. No.
Introduced by SENATOR RONALD "BATO" DELA ROSA
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A JOB TRAINING PROGRAM FOR MATURE OR OLDER 
WORKERS
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House o f Representatives o f the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Mature and Older
2 
Workers Act."
3 
SEC. 2. Definition o f Policy. - It is the policy of the State to afford full protection
4 
to labor, local and overseas, organized and unorganized and promote employment
5 
and equality of employment opportunities for all.
6 
SEC. 3. Definition o f Terms. - As used in this Act, the term:
7 
a) Basic Skills Deficient means, with respect to an individual, that the Individual
8 
has English reading or computing skills at or below the 8th grade level on a
9 
generally accepted standardized test or a comparable score on a criterion-
10 
referenced test;
11 
b) Case Management means the provision, in the delivery of a service, of a client-
12 
centered approach designed to:
13 
1) prepare and coordinate a comprehensive employment plan, such as a
14 
service strategy, for a participant to ensure access to a necessary
15 
training and support service; and


1 
2) provide job and career counseling during program participation and after
2 
job placement.
3 
c) Educational Agency means'.
4 
1) a public local school authority having administrative control of
5 
elementary, middle or secondary schools or providing adult education;
6 
2) a public or private institution that provides alternative middle or high
7 
school education;
8 
3) a public education institution or agency having administrative control of
9 
secondary or post-secondary vocational education programs; or
10 
4) post-secondary institution
11 
d) Mature or Older Worker 
an individual who is 40 years of age or older.
12 
e) Participantr(\ediUS an individual who has been determined to be eligible to
13 
participate in the program;
14 
f) School Dropout 
an individual who is no longer attending any school and
15 
who has not received a secondary school diploma or a certificate from a
16 
program of equivalently for such a diploma; and
17 
g) Termination means the separation of a participant who is no longer receiving
18 
services.
19 
SEC. 4. Eligibility for Services - An individual shall be eligible to participate in the
20 
program assisted under this part if such individual is forty (40) years of age or older
21 
and is included in one or more of the following categories:
22 
a) Individuals whose income is not excess of the poverty line;
23 
b) Individuals who are eligible for housing assistance;
24 
c) Individuals who are included in two (2) or more of the following categories:
25 
1) Individuals who are unemployed 15 of the past 26 weeks;
26 
2) Individuals who are unemployed 30 of the past 52 weeks;


3) Individuals who are working 20 or fewer hours a week;
2 
4) Individuals who are displaced homemakers;
3 
5) Individuals who are homeless;
4 
6) Individuals who have finished less than 10 years of school;
5 
7) Individuals who are deficient in basic skills;
6 
8) Individuals who have been notified that the jobs of such;
7 
9) Individuals will be terminated within the next 60 days; or
8 
lOjIndividuals who live alone.
9 
SEC. 5 - Program Design.
10 
(A) IN GENERAL - PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS - Each program assisted under:
11 
(l)a n  objective assessment, using the case management technique, of the skill
12 
levels and service needs of each participant, including such factors as basic
13 
skills, occupational skills, prior work experience, employability interests,
14 
aptitudes (including interests and aptitudes for nontraditional employment) and
15 
supportive service needs, except that a new assessment of a participant is not
16 
required if the program determined that a recent assessment of the participant
17 
conducted under another education or training program, is an appropriate
18 
assessment;
19 
(2) development of service strategies that shall identify the employment goal
20 
(including in appropriate circumstances, nontraditional employment), the
21 
appropriate achievement objectives, and the appropriate sequence of service
22 
for participants, taking into account the assessments conducted under
23 
subparagraph (A), except that a new service strategy is not required if the
24 
program determines a recent service strategy developed for the participant
25 
under another education or training program is an appropriate service strategy;
26 
(3) a review of the progress of each participant in meeting the objectives of the
27 
service strategy; and


1 
(4) basic skills training and occupational skills training if the assessments and the
2 
strategy indicate such training is appropriate.
3 
(B) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS -
4 
(1) MINIMUM INCOME PARTICIPANTS AND APPLICANTS - Each service delivery
5 
area participating in a program assisted under this Act shall ensure that each
6 
participant or applicant described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of Section 4 shall
7 
be provided -
8 
a. information on the full array of applicable or appropriate services that
9 
are available through the service delivery area or other service providers,
10 
including providers receiving funds under this Act; and
11 
b. Referral to other appropriate training and educational programs that
12 
have the capacity to serve the participant or applicant either on a
13 
sequential or concurrent basis.
14 
(C) APPLICANTS NOT MEETING ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENTS -
15 
(1) SERVICE PROVIDERS - Each service providers shall ensure that an eligible
16 
applicant who does not meet the enrolment requirements of the particular
17 
program of the provider shall be referred to the service delivery area for further
18 
assessment, as necessary, and referral to appropriate programs to meet the
19 
basic skills and training needs of the applicants;
20 
(2) SERVICE DELIVERY AREA - The service delivery area shall ensure that
21 
appropriate referrals are made under clause (1) and shall maintain records on
22 
the referral and the reasons for which applicants are referred.
23 
(D) AUTHORIZED SERVICES - One or more of the following training or supportive
24 
services shall be made available to each participation under this part:
25 
(1) Outreach and recruitment;
26 
(2) Intake and assessment;
27
(3) Job search assistance


1 
(4) Classroom and occupational skills training;
2 
(5) On-the-job training;
3 
(6) Work experience;
4 
(7) Basic and remedial education and literacy training;
5 
(8) Suppiemental services, including day care for dependent children and adults;
6 
(9) Occupational placement assistance
7 
(E) SPECIAL RULES -
8 
(1) SELECTION OF SERVICE PROVIDERS - In the selection of service providers, the
9 
Department of Labor and Employment shall give preference to agencies and
10 
organizations with demonstrated competence, in conducting older and mature
11 
worker programs.
12 
(2) JOB TRAINING PLAN - The Department of Labor and Employment shall develop
13 
the job training program under this Act. It may seek the assistance of other
14 
government agencies such as the Department of Education and the help of
15 
private 
educational 
agencies. 
It 
shall 
also 
formulate 
the 
necessary
16 
implementing rules and regulations that will ensure the efficient and effective
17 
implementation of this Act.
18 
SEC. 6. Report. - The Secretary shall submit to the President of the Philippines and
19 
to both Houses of Congress, not iater than the opening of the regular session each
20 
year, an annual report on the status of the implementation of this Act. The annual
21 
report shall include an analysis, for each province and on a nationwide basis, of the
22 
number of participants served under this Act, and the type of services under this Act
23 
received by is participants.
24 
SEC. 7. Separability Clause. - If any provision, or part hereof is held invalid or
25 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall
26 
remain valid and subsisting.


1 
SEC. 8. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive
2 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or
3 
inconsistent with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended
4 
accordingly.
5 
SEC. 9. Effectivity Cause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
6 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,