BY PRINCE GOLEZ
Manila Reporter
MANILA – A proposed law penalizes companies imposing age restrictions on their job applicants.
Some companies set a maximum age limit of 45 on applicants, said Sen. Bam Aquino, citing reports.
“Discrimination is still prevalent in schools, workplaces, public service, as well as commercial establishments,” lamented the chairman of the Senate committee on trade, commerce and entrepreneurship.
Yesterday, Aquino filed Senate Bill (SB) 2122 or the “Anti-Discrimination Act of 2014.” It adds “age” as one of the prohibited grounds for discrimination.
Imposing special requirements on applicants is “discriminatory” and “unacceptable,” said Aquino.
Companies should hire applicants based on their skills and not on their age or degree, the newbie senator stressed.
“Experience is the best teacher. Many important things are not being taught in schools and they are learned on the job. Some of the best people I know don’t have college degrees but they excel in their respective fields,” Aquino added.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said employers should realize that having age limit on job vacancy is “tantamount to discrimination.”
They get away with it because there is no penalty for such action, said DOLE Assistant Secretary Gloria Tango.
Other lawmakers who support the anti-age discrimination measure are Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Pia Cayetano, who also filed bills prohibiting such act.
These bills are Senate Bills 772, 730, and 29./PN
