Illegal recruitment as define here, refers to the act of canvassing, contracting, transporting, enlisting, hiring, utilizing or procuring workers to include offering contract services, promise for employment abroad or advertising, whether for profit or not, being undertaken by non-license or unauthorized persons, not in accordance to RA number 8042.
Republic Act Number 8042 is an act known as Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipino Act of 1995. This is an act created, which institutes policies of overseas employment, setting a higher standard of protection and promotion of the welfare of the migrant Filipino workers, their families and overseas Filipino in distress or for other purposes.
Major forms of illegal recruitment
- Luring a person to leave the country as a tourist but with the intention of working abroad
- Escort Services – tourist/workers “escorted” at Philippine airports and seaports
- Through Correspondence – applicants are encouraged by the recruiter to comply with employment requirements and placements through mail
- Blind Ads – fraudulent and misleading advertisements promising facility of employment
- Au Pair – an inter-cultural program wherein a host family sponsors a person to study language and culture for a monthly allowance in exchange for a home to stay in
- Backdoor Exit –going out of the country through some airports o seaports without proper documentation in the southern part of the Philippines
- Camouflaged participation in foreign seminars and sport events
- Workers leave as participant in seminars or sports events but eventually finding jobs in the host country
- Traineeship Scheme – Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) students leaving in the guise of a traineeship program for hotels abroad but eventually landing jobs in the training establishment.
Due to numerous incident involving in the Illegal recruitment, the Philippine Overseas Administration has come up some tips to avoid falling in the trap.
How to prevent illegal recruitment?
- If you are seeking for employment abroad, do not apply to agencies who are not licensed with POEA.
- If the agency is licensed, do not apply without the job orders.
- Avoid dealing with persons who are not authorized representative of a licensed agency.
- Do not transact business outside the registered address of the agency. If the recruitment is conducted in the province, check on if they have a provincial recruitment authority.
- If placement fee is required, do not pay more than a month salary- equivalent, exclusive of documentation and processing fees.
- Pay only placement fee upon presentation of a valid employment contract and an official receipt.
- Do not be enticed by ads or brochures requiring you to reply to a Post Office (P. O.) Box, or to enclosed payments for processing of papers.
- Do not deal with training centers and travel agencies, which promise oversea employment.
- Do not accept tourist visa.
- Do not deal with fixers.
RA 8042 recognizes the significant contribution of the Filipino migrant workers to our economy through their remittances, the state however, does not promote overseas employment as a means to sustain economic growth to achieve national development but the existence of the program rest solely on the assurance that the dignity and fundamental human rights and freedom of our citizen will not be compromised nor violated, and to emphasize the equality of men and women and the significant role of women in nation building.
However, the Philippine government through its concerned agencies are now trying to find ways for local employment among our citizens by creating more jobs in the region to prevent exodus of our workers to foreign countries and sacrificing families in exchange for jobs abroad.
The information gathered here are taken from the website of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Philippine Embassy;
- poea.gov.ph
- philippine-embassy.org.sg/labor/illegal-recruitment/
- POEA Hotline Number (02) 722 1144/ 722 1155
You may check on the agencies website if you need more information on the articles shared here.
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