Lawmaker: ‘Ease clearance burden on jobseekers’

By Manly M. Ugalde

A newly elected lawmaker has vowed to file a bill that seeks to ease the burden of pre-employment clearance requirements for job seekers.

Albay 3rd District Representative Adrian Salceda criticized what he called the “pathetic” situation wherein job applicants—including those aiming to work abroad—are required to secure clearances from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the police, barangay, and even medical institutions, despite having no guarantee of employment.

“This is a huge burden, especially for those from poor communities,” said Salceda, a first-term congressman and former three-term mayor of Polangui, Albay. He is the nephew of Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda (Albay, 2nd District), who ran for governor but was unsuccessful.

In a social media post, Salceda argued that such clearances should only be required once a job offer has been formally extended. “Applicants are forced to spend time and money—starting at the barangay level—for clearances and medical certificates, only to be rejected in the end. That’s unfair,” he said. “Worse, these documents are only valid for a few months, meaning job seekers must repeat the whole process if they reapply later.”

Two retired bankers, Armando Uy and Ramon Uy, welcomed Salceda’s proposed bill, emphasizing that the reform should apply to both private and government sectors.

According to them, applicants for government posts—especially those hired on emergency, contractual, or job-order terms—are often required to secure the same set of clearances again after just a few months of service, even when reapplying to the same office. “Some agencies even demand political endorsements from lawmakers, governors, or mayors. That practice must be banned,” they added.

A public works engineer, who requested anonymity due to lack of authority to speak publicly, recalled a case from several years ago in which a district engineer in one of Albay’s three congressional districts was restricted by a legislator from hiring casual workers unless they were residents of the said legislator’s district. The restriction was eventually lifted after media coverage triggered public backlash.

Salceda’s bill, once filed, is expected to spark national discussions on the fairness and practicality of existing job application requirements.