This past week I was really glad to read a report that the government has allowed Republic Act No. 10911 also known as the “Anti-Age Discrimination Act in the Workplace” to lapse into law. I think this is a very important step towards creating a more diverse and non-discriminatory workplace, which is something that is extremely important if we really want to give equal rights to everyone.

Personally I feel the implementation of this law comes a little late, but I suppose better late than never as the saying goes. In past years the workplace in the country has shown much discrimination – whether it be against age, gender, religious or sexual preferences, or more. Some workplaces even discriminate against health conditions such as HIV and Hepatitis. I feel that as we grow as a country and as our population becomes more diverse we need to be able to break down barriers and look beyond these discriminations.

The Anti-Age Discrimination Act of course is something close to my heart as I am getting on in years. It is nice to know that future generations will have an option to continue working even when they get older. I understand of course that many see retirement past a certain age as a way for our older citizens to rest, however it may not always be possible for everyone. Factors such as how much they have been able to save in life, their health condition, and more play a huge role in determining if retirement is possible. While there are many who may want to retire it may not be an option for them to live without being able to earn income to support themselves.

This is especially true in the Philippines where most of the health expenses are out of pocket. While many may have been able to save for their golden years that could easily go away with just one illness. And if, God willing, the person gets well and makes it out the other side, what will he or she have left to live off if their retirement savings was wiped out by hospital bills, medication, and more. As it stood for many years, they didn’t even the option to try to apply for work once again to sustain their needs.

I’m happy that now there will at least be another choice. While the Department of Labor and Employment has yet to issue the implementing rules and regulations for the law, I’m sure it already gives hope to many out there who are part of the job market. It will be extremely gratifying to stop seeing work advertisements that call for applicants between the ages of 20-25 only. Seriously, when did 30 years old become too old to apply for a job? Personally, I feel that experience is a gem that should be looked for when seeking qualified applicants.

Through this law employers will no longer be able to print or publish advertisements seeking candidates based on age, they will also no longer be allowed to require date of birth or declaration of age on job applications, decline applicants based on age, discriminate against individuals in terms of compensation, promotion, or privileges based on age, forcibly lay off an employee because of old age, or impose early retirement on the basis of age.

It really was long overdue. I hope this is just the first step in creating a more equal and diverse workplace that gives chances to everybody. Another thing I notice on work advertisements that I find troubling are those requiring a certain height and look. How does being a certain height impede your ability to be a good employee? Moreover, why would an employer require a photograph (close up and/or full body) on the application form? Again, hopefully some things we’ll begin to see less of as time goes by.

Removing these discriminations also helps us take a step in the right direction on an international level. Most progressive countries have been very careful about providing an equal opportunity workplace. In the United States as long as you are qualified and able to work you can get a job. It may not be a glamorous job, but you can still get work. Here sometimes even entry-level jobs or minimum wage jobs have very difficult requirements. It’s quite sad and something we really need to change. Again, hopefully we’ve taken another important step.

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Of course, together with good news there is always some bad news too. According to the officials of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) there is no way to address the backlog of license plates and driver’s licenses in 2016 due to pending legal problems. That means that motorists will have to wait until 2017 to get their plates and license cards, which is already quite ridiculous considering how long some have waited already.

According to the reports, the LTO can address backlog of license cards as soon as the injunction has been lifted and an agreement is signed with the new company. This will only take up to six months once completed and hopefully this time licenses will have the new validity of five years to avoid the hassle and cost of renewing too soon. However for license plates, the wait time is going to be much longer. As of July over 6.6 million license plates have yet to be distributed.

This is quite sad considering motorists continue to pay yearly renewal fees, which include payments for plates and driver’s license cards but are getting neither. I don’t understand how they allowed it to get this bad before addressing the situation. Now it has heavily ballooned and it will be that much harder to resolve. In general I feel the DOTr has a Herculean task ahead of them. Not just when it comes to addressing the backlog but also in terms of dealing, managing, and easing the horrific traffic situation. I truly hope they are up to the task because I would hate for it to get any worse.