By Marita Moaje
MANILA – The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has shut down two firms in Ermita on Friday for alleged illegal recruitment of aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) seeking to land a job in Europe.
The Creative Artist Placement Service, Inc. and its partner Schengen Visa Caps are facing charges for offering non-existent overseas jobs while collecting excessive placement fees.
“Sila ay nambibiktima ng mga kababayan nating nagnanais magtrabaho sa Europe, particularly sa (They are victimizing Filipinos who wish to work in Europe, particularly in) Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic,” DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said in an interview.
About 45 complainants went to the DMW office to report the two firms, which, he said, were validated to lack job orders for the said European countries.
“Ang kanilang modus operandi may ino-offer silang trabaho na factory worker, caregiver at skilled workers papunta sa nasabi kong bansa pero hindi nila dinedeploy, at sinisingil nila ng placement fee mula PHP80,000 pataas hanggang PHP120,000 (Their modus operandi involves offering jobs as factory workers, caregivers, and skilled workers to the mentioned country, but they do not deploy them, and they charge a placement fee ranging from PHP80,000 to PHP120,000),” he added.
The owners and staff of the closed firms would be included in the agency’s “List of Persons and Entities with Derogatory Record”, barring them from participating in government-sanctioned overseas recruitment programs.
The agency recommended the cancellation of Creative Artist Placement Service, Inc.’s license and filed charges of illegal recruitment against the individuals involved.
The DMW’s Migrant Workers Protection Bureau said that this is the seventh closure operation conducted since January. (PNA)
