Deployment of OFW to drop if...

Labor recruiters fear the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) would suffer if a bill extending the regulatory powers of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) is passed into law.

On the contrary, the Federated Association of Manpower Exporters (FAME) is asking Congress to abolish the POEA instead of making the agency stronger.

Eduardo Mahiya, FAME chairman, said the recruitment industry is in the verge of a crisis which could trigger a massive drop in overseas employment. "Lesser number of recruitment agencies will mean lesser job orders for millions of OFWs," he said.

Mahiya said the bill seeks to empower the POEA and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to implement "unrealistic" regulations.

"The new rules will affect the operations of many agencies which cannot comply with the infusion of the new capital, cash bond requirements as well as afford the penalties," he said.

Mahiya said under new regulations set to be enforced by the POEA and DOLE, recruitment agencies would be required to put up capitalization of P2 million from the previous P1 million.

"With the implementation of the new regulations, the current number of recruitment agencies and deployment of OFWs will be reduced to at least half," he said.

The new regulations are contrary to the government’s policy of deploying one million OFWs annually, Mahiya a