The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has formally rejected an “illegal” proposal from Camp Crame to require the so-called National Police Clearances (NPC) for transactions in its offices.
The agency also said the proposed requirement is another layer of “red tape and financial burden,” opposed by employers and workers alike.
In a letter submitted to outgoing Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Debold M. Sinas last Tuesday, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said they would not mandate NPCs in their transactions.
Sinas made the appeal following the rollout of the National Police Clearance System.
“There is no legal basis in requiring DOLE’s clientele to secure NPC. It may even violate pertinent provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Labor Code of the Philippines, as renumbered, and other existing legislations,” Bello explained.
Additional burden
HE also noted the NPC is also against the policy of the government to reduce red tape as stipulated under Republic Act 11032, also known as the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, and Executive Order 129, dated 13 April 2021.
The DOLE chief cited the result of its survey with 56 labor and employer leaders, where 94 percent expressed their opposition against the NPC requirement.
Bello said while he supports the intent of the proposal of PNP to require NPC supposedly to serve as background check of its clients, he noted policy will “do more harm than good.”
“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,” Bello pointed out.
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Labor groups lauded the position of DOLE on the implementation of NPC, which they have opposing since it was first publicly disclosed.
Sentro ng Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (Sentro) Secretary-General Joshua Mata said DOLE made the right decision on the matter, which may have only serve to fan labor unrest.
“The truth is, that’s the only decision we could accept,” Mata said.
Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said while it appreciates the decision of DOLE, it also criticizing the agency for not immediately junking the proposed NPC.
“It should have been junked outright and immediately at an early stage. It is incorrect for the DOLE to have even subjected the matter to a survey,” KMU Chairman Elmer Labog said.
For its part, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) urged the PNP to first consult employers and workers before considering such requirements.
“This can be done by establishing a tripartite consultation mechanism within the PNP similar to what the DOLE is doing in their policy-making and decision-making process,” TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said.
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