Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. __ 2348

Introduced by

HON. YEDDA MARIE K. ROMUALDEZ
and
HON. JUDE A. ACIDRE

AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GOVERNMENT
INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, PROVIDING FUNDS FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill recognizes the important role played by our youth in nation-
building. No less than the Philippine Constitution provides that the State
recognizes its vital responsibility to enable the youth to fulfill its vital role in
nation-building. Thus, this bill seeks to institutionalize the Government
Internship Program (GIP) as an additional training and development opportunity
for the youth who might want to take in public service as a career.

The proposed bill crafted the GIP to acquaint the youth on government
programs, projects, and activities and instill in them appreciation of public
service and the spirit of volunteerism. It will also provide the youth a platform to
learn through seminars and workshops the values of Good Citizenship;
Orientation on Basic Labor Rights; Work Ethics and Professionalism; Pre-
Employment Seminar; Gender and Sensitivity Workshop; Personality
Development; Youth Leadership and Empowerment; Business Writing and
Grammar 101; and Cultural Awareness Training.


Moreover, the proposed institutionalization of the GIP shall equip the
youth with the necessary soft skills that will prepare them for work as they

undergo transition from being students to members of the workforce.

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

Rep. YEDDA MARIE K. ROMUALDEZ
Representative, Tingog Sinirangan

Rep. JUDE/A. ACIDRE
Representative, Tingog Sinirangan


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. _2348

Introduced by

HON. YEDDA MARIE K. ROMUALDEZ
and
HON. JUDE A. ACIDRE

AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GOVERNMENT
INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, PROVIDING FUNDS FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of the Representatives of the

Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Government
Internship Program (GIP) Act of 2022’.

Section 2. Declaration of Principles. The State recognizes its vital
responsibility to enable the youth to fulfill its vital role in nation-building. It is the
governing principle of this Act that the youth be accorded opportunities through
a Government Internship Program, with implementing structures to implement
the program and the necessary funds for its sustained implementation.

Section 3. Creation of the Government Internship Program,
Objectives. — \n order to attain the declared policy, a "Government Internship

Program’ is hereby established and hereinafter referred to as the "GIP."

The objectives of the GIP are the following:


(a) To provide wider training and development opportunities among the
youth geared towards acquisition and/or application of knowledge
and skills;

(b) To contribute to addressing the financial needs of the youth for their
possible educational needs; and

(c) To involve and acquaint the youth on government programs, projects
and activities and instill in them appreciation of public service and the

spirit of volunteerism.

Section 4. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, the following
terms are defined:

(a) CSC shall refer to the Civil Service Commission.

(b) GIP Certificate refers to a certification that shall be jointly issued by
the CSC, NYC, and the involved institution after program completion
and assessment of the GIP trainee's competencies to attest their
acquired skills.

(c) GIP Graduate refers to an intern who has completed the program
services and has undergone the full duration of the program.

(d) Intern refers to an eligible beneficiary selected to participate in the
GIP.

(e) Internship refers to the practical learning or a job training of a GIP
Trainee in a regular work environment in an institution for a period of
three (3) to six (6) months, as determined by the institution.

(f) Institution refers to Philippine government institutions, state
universities and colleges, local government units, or any other legal
entity registered under relevant laws that may provide a venue for
internship of GIP trainees.

(g) Mentor refers to the intern's direct supervisor.

(h) NYC refers to the National Youth Commission.

(i) Youth refers to persons whose age ranges from fifteen (15) to thirty
(30) years old.


Section 5. Internship Guidelines. - The following shall be the
guidelines for the implementation of the GIP:

(a) Interns shall be Filipino citizens and are of 18 to 25 years of age at
the time of the application period;

(b) Institutions shall provide consideration to Persons with Disabilities
(PWDs), Indigenous Peoples, and other applicants who belong to
minorities and the marginalized;

(c) Institutions shall designate an employee who will serve as GIP Desk
Officer who will oversee the implementation of GIP within the
institution;

(qd) Internship period shall be for a period of at least three (3) months to
six (6) months at most and must be implemented on a year-round
basis;

(e) Upon entry into the internship, interns shall be provided with a
stipend amounting to 75% of the existing rate of step 1, Salary Grade
1 of the government salary standardization law and shall be non-
taxable. The amount of the stipend shall be based on the trainee's
actual attendance, absences, tardiness incurred. It shall be paid in
accordance with existing labor laws and civil service laws, rules, and
regulations;

(f) The institutions, as provided by law, and subject to budgeting,
accounting, and auditing rules and regulations, shall provide
additional entitlements such as:

a. Transportation and meal provisions during activities that are
held outside of the day-to-day office trainings;

b. Compensatory time off in case of activities held during
weekends/holidays and/or beyond office hours; and

c. Incentives and rewards in acknowledgement of remarkable
achievements (i.e.; punctuality, perfect attendance).


(g) An intern shall be a beneficiary of the program only once. As such,
the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in coordination with the National
Youth Commission (NYC), shall create and maintain a database,
which shall serve as monitoring tool for all institutions;

(h) GIP shall not be considered as employment. Thus, there is no
employer-employee relationship between the beneficiary and the
institution. GIP graduates shall be given preference in the hiring of
workers in the institutions. After career coaching, the institution shall
assess and determine whether the GIP graduate is ready to be
placed for contractual or regular work;

(

Interns are hired for official purposes only. Institutions are prohibited
from assigning tasks which go beyond official duties;
Institutions shall conduct trainings, seminars and other

(

developmental interventions for the interns including, but not limited
to mentoring, coaching and performance evaluation; and

(k) Social protection incentives shall be provided to the interns and are
encouraged for consideration by the institutions such as accident
insurance, as they may be applicable. The process can be facilitated
with either public or private insurance entities and public insurance
entities like GSIS, subject to budgetary requirements of the
institution.

Section 6. Mechanics of Internship. — This process must be followed
on the hiring of interns:

(a) Recruitment and Acceptance of GIP Interns
i. Program Advertisement and Recruitment of Interns. The
institutions, through its designated GIP Desk Officers, shall
ensure effective information dissemination of the institution
implementation of the GIP including the period of applications.

This may include, but not limited to the following:


iii.

. Promotion/recruitment of interns for GIP through institution
website and other social networking sites;

. Text blasts for applicable institutions;

. Print advertisements;

. Broadcast media; and

open

. Promotion thru educational institutions in coordination with
the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on
Higher Education (CHED) and Local Government Units
(LGUs).

Applications for Internship

1. Walk-in applicants may submit their accomplished
application forms directly to the GIP Desk Officer.

2. Online applications may also be accepted through
necessary official channels of the institution.

3. Applicants must not be related within the 3rd degree of
affinity and consanguinity to officials and employees of the
institution.

Screening of GIP Trainees

.. The screening and acceptance of interns may be initiated and

facilitated by the institution at least three (3) weeks before the
first day of service of the new batch of interns.

. The screening, however, may not be limited to interviews.
. The institution shall provide the applicants with a uniform

application form which shall serve as basis of the screening.
No applicant must be discriminated based on his/her gender,
race, religion, and economic status.


Acceptance of GIP Interns. Once the selection process is
done, an Order of Acceptance shall serve as their
Appointment Paper. It shall be executed and signed by and
between the GIP Desk Officer and the intern. It shall stipulate
the Terms of Reference for the compliance of the one who
shall be governed by such document. It shall also contain that
there is "No Employer-Employee Relationship" between the
beneficiary and the hiring institution given that the program is
not an employment opportunity.

(b) Orientation of Interns. The new batch of interns shall attend a general
orientation on or before their first day of training which shall be
scheduled by the GIP Desk officer.

The orientation covers but is not limited to the following;

a.

-~opaos

se

Government Internship Program (GIP) Rationale;

. Institutional mandate and organizational structure;
. Relevant office policies and procedures;

|. Specific institutional programs and projects;

. Telephone Etiquette/Office Decorum;

Interpersonal Relations;

. Code of Conduct of Public Employees (RA 6713); and
. Role of Interns in the Government Volunteers Program

All units under the institution shall send their representatives during
the GIP Orientation to discuss programs, projects, undertakings, and
activities of their respective offices.

(c) Work Assignments/Tasks of Interns. Institution officials and staff are
considered mentors of all interns. They shall provide work

assignments and responsibilities that will enhance and enrich the


experiences of the program beneficiaries and develop their

knowledge and skills.

The responsibilities assigned to them may include, but are not limited

to, the following:

Clerical/Secretarial Work (eg., typing, filing, sorting,
photocopying);

Customer Service (e.g., answering telephone calls, attending
to official concerns of visitors);

Research Work (e.g., data gathering, survey administration,
etc.); and

Support to Staff (e.g., logistics, assist in staff work).

(d) Activity/Program Participation of Interns. Interns shall be required to

attend or participate in relevant in-house trainings and seminars
conducted by the institution.

These trainings/seminars include the following but are not limited to:

i.
ii.
iii,
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
viii.

ix.

Good Citizenship;

Orientation on Basic Labor Rights;

Work Ethics and Professionalism;
Pre-Employment Seminar;

Gender and Sensitivity Workshop;
Personality Development;

Youth Leadership and Empowerment;
Business Writing and Grammar 101; and
Cultural Awareness Training.

These training modules may be obtained from the National Youth

Commission (NYC). Each institution may choose a minimum of six

(6) from the suggested topics for its implementation. Other relevant


topics may also be included in the internal trainings and seminars for
the interns.

In response to the Public and Private Partnerships Framework,
interns can also be tapped as delegates during activities outside of
the institutional parameters where they are hired. These may be
participation in outreach programs, film showing, volunteer works,
and youth engagements that are often initiated by private groups,
socio-civic associations and organizations that help the government
in reaching out to the people.

(e) Mentoring, Coaching and Performance Evaluation. To ensure that
interns are given enough mentoring, the direct supervisor and the
intern shall meet twice for the entire duration of internship. The
interns shall accomplish two (2) performance evaluation sheets and
the supervisor shall accomplish two (2) supervisor's evaluation
sheets before the graduation.

(

Termination of GIP Contract. Any of the following shall be a valid
cause to terminate the training contract.

By the institution:

a. Habitual absenteeism of the intern;

b. Willful disobedience by the intern of the institution's rules, or
insubordination of a lawful order of a supervisor;

c. Theft or malicious destruction of the institution's property by
the intern;

d. Engaging in violence or other forms of misconduct in the
internship or institution's premises by the intern; and

e. Poor performance for a prolonged period despite warning duly
given to the intern.


By the intern:
a. Substandard or harmful working conditions within the
institution's premises;
b. Cruel and inhumane treatment; and
c. Prolonged or continuing illness.

Either party may furnish the other party a notice of intent to
terminate the GIP contract for cause as defined in this section. In
case the GIP Contract has been terminated, replacement of an intern
in an institution shall be allowed subject to the cause of termination.

(g) The graduation day for the interns shall be conducted preferably on
the last day of internship.

The mentoring forms used shall gauge the learnings of the interns
during their internship in the institution. It is important that the interns
themselves exhibit satisfactory, very good to excellent ratings from
their supervisors during their last mentoring session which shall also
reflect in the Performance Evaluation Form. This process shall be
undertaken on the 3rd or last month of their service in the institution.

The GIP Desk Officer shall likewise follow up on mentors of
interns with performance evaluation rating of below three (3) by the
second (2nd) month of internship.

To empower them, interns shall be given the chance to plan and
organize their graduation ceremonies.

Section 7. Grievance Committee. - The Grievance Committee shall
have the initial responsibility of settling differences in case any violation of the
GIP Contract or upon filing of a complaint by an aggrieved party. The Grievance
Committee shall be composed of the officials and representatives of the

W


institution that have jurisdiction over the internship. The Committee shall render
a decision pursuant to pertinent rules and regulations. In case of failure by the
Grievance Committee to settle the issue or render a decision, or in case the
complaint is against members of the Grievance Committee, the case shall be
referred to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) for appropriate action.

Section 8. Civil Service Eligibility. - All beneficiaries are mandated to
take Civil Service Eligibility (CSE) examinations to keep an open mind set on
government service after their internship period.

Section 9. Program Management. ~

a) The CSC shall be the executing institution of the GIP. It shall serve
as program manager that shall provide necessary technical and
administrative assistance to concerned institutions. The regional and
field offices shall supervise and monitor the implementation of the
GIP in their respective jurisdiction. CSC shall conduct training for GIP
Desk Officers prior to the implementation of the GIP.

The CSC shall establish a GIP Unit in its Central, Regional and Field
offices. The unit shall provide training costs, administrative costs, or

b)

other fees, if any, as specified under a memorandum of agreement
between CSC and the institution.
Cc)

The Oversight Committee shall oversee the implementation of the
GIP. The Committee shall be chaired by the National Youth
Commission (NYC). The Committee shall be composed of
representatives from the Civil Service Commission (CSC),
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD),
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of
Interior and Local Government (DILG), and representatives from the
youth, employer, and labor sectors. A report shall be transmitted to
both Houses of Congress through the Civil Service Commission.

12


d) All institutions shall designate a GIP Desk Officer, who shall be
lodged under the HR/Personnel Unit or any Special Unit of the
institution. The GIP Desk Officer will:

i. Ensure that all processes required of the Program are met;
and
ii. Provide reports to CSC as the lead institution on GIP.

Section 10. Program Assessment. - To determine the necessary
innovations, improvements and rationalization needed for integration in the
program, a periodic review and assessment on the delivery of the GIP services
must be undertaken by each institution.

This will also be a processing venue for all units under the institution to
suggest mechanisms to further enhance the internal processes of the program
as they may apply within their institutional parameters. This endeavor shall be
undertaken at least twice a year. All institutions should submit a report and
database of their implementation of the Government Internship Program fifteen
days (15) after the end of every term.

Section 11. Appropriations. - There is hereby authorized to be
appropriated the amount of One Hundred Million Pesos (Php100,000,000.00)
as funding for the program and shall be provided to the Civil Service
Commission's budget for the current fiscal year.

Further, at least one per cent (1%) shall be appropriated under the
Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) of institutions for the
implementation of GIP in their respective jurisdictions and shall be included in
the annual General Appropriations Act.

Section 12. Separability Clause. - \f, for any reason, any provision of
this Act or any part thereof shall be held unconstitutional and invalid, the other

13


parts or provisions of this Act, which are not affected thereby, shall remain in
full force and effect.

Section 13. Repealing Clause. — Executive Order 139, series of 1993,
and all other laws, decrees, rules and regulations, other issuances, or parts
thereof which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified
accordingly.

Section 14 Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect upon its publication
in the Official Gazette or in at least one (1) national newspaper of general

circulation.

Approved,

14