ABU DHABI // The head of a Philippines government agency on overseas employment has reiterated warnings to recruiters that engaging in deceitful practices could put firms’ operating licences at risk.
“Recruiters should be truthful to the worker as well as to the government,” said Hans Cacdac, the head of the Philippine overseas employment administration (POEA) in Manila, yesterday. “Our role in government is to enhance the protection of our workers, especially the vulnerable sector.”
His comments follow the suspension of a recruitment agency in Manila for attempting to send a Filipina to Dubai by issuing two visas for her – one as “sales staff” and one as a “servant”.
Chanceteam International Services committed an “act of misrepresentation” and falsification of travel documents.
Mr Cacdac ordered the "preventive" suspension of the company to work pending an investigation by the POEA. This means the company cannot recruit or deploy workers overseas until further notice.
The woman, who was not named, was barred from leaving the Philippines after admitting that she was sent to work as a housemaid in Dubai.
Her agent instructed her to present the visa with a “sales staff” position at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
The warning is directed at recruitment agencies in the Philippines but could affect UAE companies that work in tandem with Filipino agencies.
Delmer Cruz, the labour attache in Dubai, said the "sales staff" visa was probably fake and is a classic case of reprocessing, where a housemaid is passed off as some other type of worker to evade stringent recruitment requirements.
“Often they are instructed to show the fake visa at the airport in the Philippines but, when they arrive here, they are issued a new – and authentic – servant’s visa,” he said.
“What is unfortunate is that 80 to 90 per cent of the workers are ‘willing victims’ of illegal recruitment.”
A recruiter who forces a worker to lie to the government, not to pass through the legal process and conceal documents is committing an illegal act, Mr Cacdac said.
Mr Cruz urged Filipinos seeking work as maids in the UAE to avoid falling prey to illegal recruiters, and instead go through the proper channels.
The formal recruitment process is overseen by the POEA, which licenses agencies to recruit Filipinos for overseas employment.
“None of this will happen if the worker is willing to be part of the scheme,” Mr Cruz said.
In January, Mr Cacdac had also warned recruiters against sending workers to wrong or non-existent jobs overseas.
At the time, six Filipinas were barred from leaving Manila airport to work overseas over suspected human trafficking.
Five were due to fly to Dubai via Bangkok to work in the UAE. Three had no legal visa while the other two were bound for Lebanon and Jordan.
Licensed recruiters with a record of breaking the rules could face a temporary suspension, a revocation of their licence and be banned from engaging in overseas recruitment.
rruiz@thenational.ae
