Albay 3rd district Representative-elect Adrian Salceda is set to file a bill that would prohibit employers from requiring applicants to submit clearances from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) or police before they could get job offers.

Salceda said Tuesday, May 27, that he will file the measure once he assumes his post in July.

He said his proposal would help redirect the limited police and investigative resources to more pressing public safety needs.

Salceda believes that requiring such clearances before giving any job offer "forces the poor to pay for suspicion".

"And it wastes everyone’s time—including the NBI and the police. Their limited personnel and logistics are better used solving real crimes, not screening innocent job applicants by the millions," he said.

He said the measure will prohibit both public and private employers from seeking police, NBI or other criminal background clearances from job applicants.

Once the applicant is hired, an employer may require only one such clearance—not multiple documents like police, NBI, barangay, and court certificates, which are commonly required today.

Salceda emphasized that this reform affirms the constitutional right of Filipinos to be presumed innocent, while also responding to a very real burden on the unemployed.

"If you’re jobless and broke, or newly graduated, every peso counts. Requiring ₱100 to ₱500 worth of clearances, repeatedly, before giving you a shot is unjust and inefficient," he said.

Violators of the measure will be penalized by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), with escalating fines of up to ₱100,000 and possible suspension of hiring licenses or business permits for repeat offenses.