The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has reiterated its warning to private recruitment and manning agencies to strictly adhere to ethical recruitment standards or risk losing their licenses.
In a recent news release, DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said their agency stands firm on its “zero tolerance” policy for unethical recruiters, as the government steps up efforts to protect millions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from abuse and exploitation.
“The protection and welfare of our OFWs is our utmost priority. The DMW affirms the decision of then POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration) on its resolved cases involving private recruitment and manning agencies, found violating significant provisions of the rules intended to protect the rights and welfare of our OFWs,” he said.
The affirmed cases include the license cancellation of AMI Global Recruitment and Concept Placement Resources, Inc. in February 2023, and Bailey Corp. in March 2023, after they were found to have repeatedly violated contract provisions and committed deployment irregularities.
The decisions were made not only by the then POEA, but by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) as well. Cacdac reminded licensed recruiters to be diligent in submitting authentic documents and to monitor the status of deployed workers abroad.
He said failure to comply could lead to sanctions, including permanent license cancellation.
The DMW also called on agencies to respond immediately to workers’ urgent concerns, stating that upholding ethical recruitment is a shared responsibility that directly impacts the lives of Filipino families worldwide.
“We are reminding our licensed recruitment and manning agencies to always safeguard the protection and well-being of our OFWs by ensuring strict compliance to our rules and regulations,” Cacdac said. (With PNA)