By Marita Moaje
MANILA – The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), with the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), has shut down a travel agency based in Pampanga for illegally offering jobs in Bulgaria without a proper recruitment license.
In an interview after the closure operation in Calulut, San Fernando, DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said the agency recruits Filipinos looking for overseas jobs in exchange of exorbitant fees.
“Ang DMW, especially ang Department ng Migrant Workers Protection Bureau, ay narito po ngayon sa Calulut, San Fernando, Pampanga para i-implement ang isang closure order ng isang travel agency na nag-ha hire, nag-recruit at nagpapadala ng mga workers sa ibang bansa, particularly sa Bulgaria, na walang lisensya at in violation of all the lawful laws and rules ng DMW (The DMW, especially the Department of Migrant Workers Protection Bureau, is here today in Calulut, San Fernando, Pampanga to implement a closure order of a travel agency that hires, recruits and sends workers abroad, particularly to Bulgaria, without a license and in violation of all the lawful laws and rules of the DMW),” he said.
The DMW said Yatra Travel and Tours allegedly offered factory worker positions in the automobile and textile industries.
Olalia said the agency allegedly promises a salary ranging from PHP90,000 to PHP110,000 per month, while charging exorbitant processing fees ranging from PHP400,000 to PHP500,000.
Moreover, applicants were asked to pay PHP50,000 as a down payment for a slot or reservation, with the remaining balance due after the completion of the required documents before deployment.
Olalia said the closure order was issued after an investigation confirmed that Yatra Travel and Tours had no legal authority to recruit and deploy workers abroad.
He said the investigation was prompted by a complaint received by the DMW.
“Vinalidate ng ating team yung nakita nating permit pero according to the LGU, wala pa pong nai-issue na valid mayor’s permit (Our team validated the permit we saw but according to the LGU, no valid mayor’s permit has been issued yet),” Olalia said.
“Ayon po sa team natin, pangatlong lipat na nila ito dito at kaninang umaga, nandito na yung team natin, inaabangan natin yung may-ari kasi meron po tayong i-implement sana ng entrapment proceedings (According to our team, this is the third time they have moved here and this morning, our team was here, we are waiting for the owner because we have entrapment proceedings to implement).”
However, Olalia said the owner of the travel agency did not show up, preventing authorities from executing a warrantless arrest, but the DMW proceeded with the closure as ordered by DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac.
Olalia explained that even if the travel agency possesses a valid local business permit, it still needs a DMW license to engage in recruitment for overseas employment.
He said the DMW is in coordination with the Department of Justice for the filing of cases against the agency’s operators.
He said the owners and operators of the travel agency may face charges of illegal recruitment, and if multiple complainants come forward, the agency could face large-scale illegal recruitment charges, a non-bailable offense punishable by life imprisonment.
Olalia reminded Filipinos looking for overseas jobs to be cautious and verify first if the recruitment agency they are dealing with is licensed by the DMW before engaging with them to avoid being victimized. (PNA)
