DOLE tells companies to accept certified true copies of pre-employment documents

Labor Order no. 11 allows first time jobseekers to keep the original copies of their pre-employment documents unless they are already offered the job.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Instead of submitting original copies of their pre-employment documents, first time jobseekers may now just submit certified true copies of their papers to their potential employers.

This as Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello issued Labor Advisory no. 7 on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, which tells private companies to accept certified true copies of the pre-employment documents of first time job seekers, instead of requiring them to submit the original copies during the application process.

Bello said said this will allow the jobseekers to keep the original copy of the documents instead of getting another set of copy if they need them in the future.

Under the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act, individuals who are getting copies of pre-employment documents for the first time may obtain the documents for free from concerned government agencies.

Among the pre-employment requirement whose fees have been waived by the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act include barangay certification and clearance, police clearance, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance, medical certificates from government hospitals, taxpayer’s identification number (TIN) and transcript of records and diploma of those who graduated from state and local universities and colleges.

The privilege, however, is limited to only one copy for each document. This means that when the jobseeker needs the documents for other potential employers, he will need to get a new copy and pay for it if he submitted the original copy which they obtained for free.

In the Labor Order, Bello said the original copy of the documents shall be required only if the jobseeker is already offered the job. /bmjo