206 overseas job applicants rescued

MANILA, Philippines — Around 206 people seeking jobs abroad have been rescued from overcrowded and unregistered housing facilities in Metro Manila and Cavite.

Four private recruitment agencies illegally housed prospective overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Manila, Pasay and Imus, Cavite, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said yesterday.

In Imus, 55 people were found in a cramped apartment operated by Samantha Manpower and Prime Goal, DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said on the sidelines of the OFW Global Summit.

Authorities rescued 151 others from facilities operated by Job Connections, TS Pizarro and JPM88/AAV Talent Training and Management.

Recruitment agencies reportedly detained prospective OFWs in the facilities and required payments of up to P50,000 each for their release.

Passports and other travel documents of some applicants had been confiscated.

Some of the people rescued said they had been waiting for deployment as domestic workers in the Middle East for six months up to a year.

Cacdac acknowledged Sen. Raffy Tulfo, chairman of the Senate committee on migrant workers, whose initial information reportedly led authorities to one of the facilities in Pasay.

DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said the department’s intensified campaign aims to ensure that all overseas job applicants are housed in safe, decent and regulated facilities before deployment.

“In one unit, more than 20 people were staying in a very small space with only one toilet. This clearly does not meet safety standards,” Olalia said.

DMW Undersecretary Darlene Pajarito confirmed that the rescued people were found in licensed and unlicensed recruitment facilities operating illegal accommodation setups.

“The places we inspected were not humane. They were hazardous, poorly ventilated and not properly lit. These conditions put the applicants’ health and safety at risk even before deployment,” Pajarito said.

Rescued applicants are currently under government custody, undergoing interviews and assessments for possible deployment assistance, upskilling programs or alternative livelihood training.