Filipinos won’t lose jobs
It (the number of foreign worker) may not be minimized but what’s important is that no “Filipino” is going to lose his job due to the influx of foreigners
Filipinos will not be deprived of work even amid the influx of foreign workers in the country.
This was assured by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III yesterday on the sidelines of the ceremonial signing of the Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) on the Rules and Procedures Governing Foreign Nationals Intending to Work in the Philippines at the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) headquarters in Intramuros, Manila.
With the existence of the JMC, Bello stressed that the number of foreign workers in the country will not decrease. “It (the number of foreign worker) may not be minimized but what’s important is that no Filipino is going to lose his job due to the influx of foreigners,” Bello said.
Aside from giving security to Filipino workers, Bello also noted that the JMC will allow increased revenue collection of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) as foreigners will not be given permit to work in the
country if they do not pay taxes.
Bello said that it is also important for the foreign workers to pay their taxes just like Filipino workers do. He said it will be a big help for the government if they do such.
Paying income tax while they are working in the country is among the salient points of the JMC. It also ensures that undesirable aliens will not be employed in the country.
“Because of this JMC, we have been awarded an additional 500 Labor Laws Compliance Officers so we can strengthen our inspection capabilities to catch illegal activities,” he said.
The additional labor inspectors will ensure efficient tax collections, strengthen the country’s inspectorate system, ensure compliance with the process cycle time in the issuance of Alien Employment Permit and ensure the integrity of data relative to foreign workers in the country.
The signatories of the JMC aside from the DoLE and BIR are the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Finance, Department of Justice, Bureau of Immigration, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and Professional Regulation Commission.
The JMC shall take effect after 15 days from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Meanwhile, Bello also announced yesterday that about 1.3 billion jobseekers every year are expected to benefit from the Republic Act 11261 or the First Time Job Seekers Assistance Act.
Under the law, first-time job applicants will no longer have to pay fees for government documents required for employment. This includes Barangay Clearance and Certificate, Medical Certificate, Police Clearance, National Bureau of Investigation clearance, Transcript of Records and Tax Identification Number.
While this translates to P3 billion foregone government revenues, the government looks at this as investment to bring double or triple fold return in achieving a productive human capital and workforce for the nation.