MANILA, Philippines — Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has thumbed down the request of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Debold Sinas to require police clearance in various labor-related transactions.
Bello wrote to Sinas on May 4 saying that the proposed additional requirement “will do more harm than good.” The DOLE Information and Publication Service released the letter to the media on Wednesday.
“While good-intentioned, requiring DOLE’s clientele to secure NPC (National Police Clearance) to avail of our services will do more harm than good,” Bello said.
According to Bello, 94 percent of employers and workers are not in favor of making police clearance a requirement for DOLE transactions based on a survey conducted among stakeholders.
“It is a form of a red tape to all and an additional financial burden to many. It is also not aligned with the policy of the President as embodied in the Republic Act No. 11032, also known as the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, and Executive Order No. 129 dated 13 April 2021,” added Bello.
The Labor Secretary also said that there is no legal basis in requiring DOLE’s clients to secure police clearance for transactions with the department.
“It may even violate pertinent provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Labor Code of the Philippines, as renumbered, and other existing legislations,” Bello added.
“We are with the PNP in building a safer place for the Filipino. We can achieve this without adding burden to the transacting public and the people we serve,” he said.
Before issuing the letter, Bello earlier noted that labor stakeholders have expressed opposition to the proposal of Sinas as it is seen to hamper the goal of ensuring the ease of doing business in the country.
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