QC, POEA target illegal recruitment syndicates

The Quezon City government and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) are stepping up the campaign against illegal recruitment syndicates to make the city an "anti-illegal recruitment-free zone."

During a series of meetings, Ignacio Diaz, chief of the city’s Public Employment Services Office (PESO) and director Alejandre Diaz, chief of the POEA’s anti-illegal recruitment branch, agreed to conduct joint operations to dismantle illegal recruitment syndicates operating in the city.

Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and POEA Administrator Rosalinda Dimapilis Baldoz are expected to sign a memorandum of agreement being drafted by Quezon City and POEA technical working group.

The campaign against illegal recruitment will be carried out through a massive information campaign at the grassroots level to educate the people on how illegal recruiters operate.

"Information dissemination is very important in this campaign because so many are victimized by illegal recruiters because they are unaware of the law concerning recruitment," POEA’s Diaz said.

He said most people do not know that those operating without a license from the POEA are illegal recruiters.

The POEA official said under the Labor Code, only the government can deploy workers for jobs overseas.

To help the city and barangay authorities flush out illegal recruiters, the POEA will be sending regularly updated lists of licensed agencies to PESO for posting at City Hall and public information boards in the city’s 142 barangays.

PESO’s Diaz said Quezon City, being the most populous city in the country, has the biggest number of people seeking overseas employment and are often the target of illegal recruiters.

"Where there are job seekers, there will always be illegal recruiters" he said.

The city government and POEA are determined to send illegal recruiters to jail by working together to bring greater public awareness and by identifying illegal recruiters and their cohorts.