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MANILA, Philippines?The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has summoned five recruitment agencies who caused 16 Middle East-bound overseas Filipino workers to be stranded in Singapore due problems in their connecting flights.
In a news release, the Department of Labor and Employment identified these five agencies as Medrip International Philippines Inc., Agency Futuristic International (Artist) Promotion, Acclaimed One Manpower and Recruitment Service, PVE Placement Agency, and World Production International Manpower, all licensed by the POEA.
The recruitment agencies ?need to satisfy us with a clear explanation and why they should not be penalized for infractions of the rules and regulations on overseas employment under the recently enacted Republic Act 10022,? said DoLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.
The new law requires confirmed bookings of connecting flights for leaving OFWs.
Two batches of eight overseas Filipino workers bound for the Middle East were stranded in Singapore recently over problems with their connecting flights
Citing a report from Singapore-based Labor Attaché Rodolfo Sabulao, Baldoz said eight OFWs on board the budget airline JetStar arrived in Singapore on August 12 bound for Abu Dhabi but were prevented from boarding their connecting flight by Singapore authorities, who turned over the OFWs to Philippine embassy officials for care and disposition. The Philippine Overseas Labor Office?s Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) in Singapore currently shelters the OFWs.
Sabulao reported that based on the affidavits of the workers, they were prevented by the police from boarding their connecting flight because their plane tickets were allegedly purchased by their agents in Manila using a stolen credit card.
The labor attaché said another batch of eight workers were again stranded in Singapore the next day, August 13, when they were also prevented by authorities from boarding their connecting flights to their overseas destinations due to unconfirmed bookings.
?Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways, the airline companies that flew them to Singapore, wanted them to present the credit card holder who booked them in Manila and purchased their tickets,? Sabulao reported. The eight were bound for Kuwait, Qatar, and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
Sabulao said this is not the first time that documented Filipino workers were stranded in Singapore. ?In the past, there have been workers bound for overseas destinations who were stranded at the airport due to booking problems,? he said.
Baldoz said the DOLE is working very hard to prevent the occurrences such as what happened to the 16 workers by coordinating its efforts with all agencies with OFW protection-related work.
