DOLE: PNP idea to require workers’ clearance unhelpful, unlawful

MANILA, Philippines — Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has formally rejected the proposal of the Philippine National Police to require workers to get a national police clearance before they can transact with the labor department.

He told PNP chief Gen. Debold Sinas, who made the request before his retirement, that the plan would only add to the red tape and financial burden of workers seeking assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

A former justice secretary, Bello also told Sinas that requiring workers transacting with DOLE to get a national police clearance first would violate the Constitution, Labor Code, and other laws.

“Requiring DOLE’s clientele to secure (a national police clearance) to avail of our services will do more harm than good … It is a form of red tape to all and an additional financial burden to many,” Bello wrote Sinas on May 4.

“Further, there is no legal basis in requiring DOLE’s clientele to secure (a national police clearance). It may even violate pertinent provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Labor Code of the Philippines, and other existing legislation,” he added.