Senator Bam Aquino vows to work against practice of companies to hire employees based on age, calling it discriminatory on the part of workers above 45 years old who still want to be productive citizens.

“This practice is unacceptable because we want to encourage our citizens, including those in advanced years, to be productive. Kung kaya pa naman, bakit natin hahadlangan ang pagnanais nilang magtrabaho,” said Aquino, chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship.

“If we prevent them from exercising this right, then it is tantamount to discrimination, which has no place and should be outlawed in today’s society,” stressed Aquino.

Aquino made the pronouncement after receiving complaints from several jobseekers about this practice of companies to turn down applicants who are above their maximum age requirement of 45.

The senator said companies should give seasoned workers a chance to earn their livelihood, as long as they can perform the required duties and responsibilities required.

“Kahit ano pa ang edad, basta kaya pang magtrabaho dapat bigyan ng pagkakataon para kumita,” he said.

Aquino said he would work for the removal of age requirement by companies looking for workers.

“From I understand, there is already an existing bill about age discrimination. I will work for it to be incorporated in the anti-discrimination bill that I recently filed,” Aquino said, referring to his Senate Bill 2122 or the Anti-Discrimination Act of 2014, which seeks to combat discrimination of any form.

Recently, Aquino received a letter from a 55-year-old former overseas Filipino worker who still wants to work to help his family.

In his letter, he called on Aquino to work for the passage of a bill that will remove the maximum age limit of 45 imposed by companies on applicants.

At the same time, Aquino called on companies to base their criteria for applicants on skills and not on degree.

“As they say, 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 degree but they excel in their respective fields,” Aquino added.

This way, Aquino said companies would help address the problem of job mismatch hounding the labor industry.