Why? Look at almost job advertisement in the Philippines, the age requirement (or preferred, a better choice of word) have an age bracket that you have to be between the age of 21-35 years old (even just to work at the Shopping Mall as Sales Clerk or at fast food outlets like McDo or JolliObee as maintenance person or just taking orders. Some of them cannot even give you your exact change).
Well, that is well and good that at a young age of 21, they will be working and be productive.
What happened to the qualitative selection of applicants based on years of experience, maturity, dependability and integrity. My nephew will say…”Hindi na po uso iyon!”
The big question is what happens if you are over 40 years old, with 2 or 3 kids, a house rent or mortgage to pay, a monthly remittance for your motorcycle, and your utility bills. You can’t work because you don’t fit and meet the age bracket of AGE DISCRIMINATION and yes, you have a college degree, in fact – two of them, lots of OJT and years of work experiences. What do you do? Steal, beg, pawn your wife’s jewelry or shoot someone!
If you have not settled, secured and have locked yourself in a stable job at the age of 40 in the Philippines, you might as well forget getting a decent job other than work as a laborer or salesman that will barely afford you and your family the three meals a day you need. You might be more fortunate to sell street food and make a fortune. What choice do you have?
Sorry to say…forget about that retirement nest you are thinking of!
What about your rent, your motorcycle, and utilities? You are lucky if your children are about in their late teens and twenty or over. They are the ones that can work and take over your bills and provide the three meals a day you or they need. What if you don’t have any kids that are old enough to meet the age requirement of 21-35 to get a job. What if you happen to be single?
You might be a very good statistic to be one of the homeless people 10-15 years from today.
Hopefully not, but…if they don’t start hiring people 35 and above, save yourself a space on the streets infront of the office, company or business establishment that turned down your application and ignored your well written resume.
Only in the Philippines and the 1st country where you can retire – forced to retire that is – the earliest age of 40… (of course – without pay) and have to wait for another 20 years (to acquire diabetes, cholesterol, high blood, kidney problems or heart ailments) in time to get free Medical benefits from Social Security when you turn 60 and get Senior Citizen Discount for your funeral expenses! That – pretty much sums it up.
But…just like the song goes…“Don’t Give Up!”
Just a thought…if our law makers cannot make a law making it illegal to discriminate with age and its strict enforcement, why don’t we require our Senators and Representatives in Congress an age limit too;
Senators: They must not be older than 50 but not younger than 40; Representatives: They must be between 30 to 40 years old.
No Senators should be allowed in the Halls of Congress whose ages are between 60 or 80 years old.
Fair enough! Enough is enough!
