Job recruiters warned anew about obeying the rules

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration on Saturday warned recruitment agencies against violating government rules on the recruitment and deployment of Filipino household service workers, saying their licenses could be suspended if not revoked.

POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac, citing the increasing number of Filipino maids who have filed cases against their recruiters and employers, reminded recruitment agencies that they would be held accountable for recruitment violations, incidents of abuse, exploitation, or breaches of contract committed by household employers against Filipino domestic workers.

Cacdac said Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has instructed him to make recruiters observe the household service workers reform package as provided by the various POEA Governing Board resolutions issued in 2006.

He said the reforms included minimum deployable age increased from 18 to 23; minimum entry salary increased from US$200 to US$400 per month; prohibition on collection of placement fee from the HSW, whether done prior to their departure or on-site through salary deduction; higher competency standards for prequalification of workers; higher standard of prequalification for foreign placement agency and its foreign employer; and prohibition on HSWs / domestic helpers markets as compliance with new market requirements for issuance of new license.

He added that deployment of underage workers and collection of placement fees from HSWs were serious offenses that carried the penalty of cancellation of license.

Some of the less serious offenses committed by recruiters include contract substitution or altering; falsifying or altering travel documents such as visa, passport or birth certificate of the worker; deploying workers whose employment and travel documents were not processed by the POEA; deploying workers to employers or principals not accredited by the POEA; failing to provide pre-departure orientation seminar to the worker; and withholding of salaries or remittances without justifiable reasons.

The administrator said erring foreign employers also faced sanctions under POEA rules.

Offenses by foreign employers such as default on its contractual obligations to the migrant worker and/or to its Philippine agent; gross violation of laws, rules and regulations on overseas employment; gross negligence leading to serious injury or illness or death of the worker; grave misconduct; conviction of an offense involving moral turpitude; and any other cases analogous to the foregoing have  the penalty of suspension of its accreditation for the first offense, and disqualification from participation in the overseas employment program of the Philippines for the second offense.