LABOR Secretary Silvestre Bello III has declined a request from the Philippine National Police (PNP) to make the National Police Clearance (NPC) a requirement in the various transactions of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
In a letter to then-PNP chief Debold Sinas, Bello said requiring DOLE’s clientele to secure NPC to avail of its services will do more harm than good.
NPC is a database aimed at streamlining the issuance of police clearances across the country.
Sinas earlier wrote Bello asking the latter to make the NPC a requirement in DOLE dealings.
However, Bello said DOLE stakeholders are opposed to it.
Results of a rapid survey by DOLE showed its constituents are not in favor of making the NPC a requirement to DOLE transactions.
Bello said it is a form of red tape to all and an additional financial burden to many.
Bello cited more important reasons to reject the NPC saying it is not aligned with the policy of President Rodrigo Duterte as embodied in the Republic Act No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2019, and Executive Order No. 129.
There is also no legal basis in requiring DOLE’s clientele to secure NPC, Bello said.
Bello lauded the PNP for relentlessly finding ways to promote public safety.