Recruitment agency loses license, another suspended for violations

By: Jerry E. Esplanada - 10 years ago

Philippine Overseas Labor Employment office. Photo from www.poea.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines — For misrepresentation and engaging in human trafficking activities, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has cancelled the license of Non-Stop Employment Corp., a recruitment agency based in Ermita, Manila.

POEA head Hans Leo Cacdac said on Wednesday it was the firm’s “third offense that warrants the penalty of cancellation (of license).”

In a statement, he said Non-Stop Employment was one of several recruitment agencies being investigated by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (Iacat).

The Iacat inquiry “was endorsed by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima relative to the investigation of cases of trafficking of Filipinos to Kuwait,” noted Cacdac.

The company “committed misrepresentation when its counterpart agency in Kuwait (Suad Dahham Thamer) failed to pay the recruited worker the monthly salary indicated in the employment contract.”

The overseas Filiipno worker, whom the POEA did not identify, “was promised a salary of $400 a month, the minimum salary for a foreign household worker in Kuwait. However, the Kuwaiti employer paid the OFW 65 Kuwaiti dinars, which was equivalent to only $112.”

Worse, the Kuwaiti agency “transferred the OFW to another household.”

“The worker also testified that she suffered maltreatment from her second employer, working without enough sleep and food,” Cacdac reported.

The POEA, he said, has banned the Kuwaiti agency from taking part in its overseas employment program.

Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment-attached agency has suspended for 40 months the license of IExcel Manpower Corp., another Manila recruitment firm, for submitting fake certificates of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, or TESDA.

In a directive, the POEA also imposed a fine of P2 million on the erring company.

Cacdac explained the TESDA-issued certificate for household service worker “is not a trivial requirement” and “should not be taken lightly.”

“Our government recognizes that the ultimate protection for all migrant workers is the possession of skills and familiarity with the country and language of their employers and host governments. That is why, OFWs for deployment as household workers are required to complete the competency requirements under the Philippine Technical and Vocational Education Training Qualification and Certification System,” he noted.

The POEA reminded recruitment agencies to “ensure the authenticity and validity of documents submitted for processing by the POEA, adding they are “liable for any irregularity in their issuance.”