DOLE backtracks on license policy

To avert a possible drop in the deployment of overseas Filipino workers abroad, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has revised the licensing policy for recruitment agencies.

The local recruitment industry yesterday reported that under the new policy, over a hundred recruitment agencies can resume deploying Filipino workers overseas.

The Federated Association of Manpower Exporters, Inc. (FAME) said starting today, the Philippine Overseas Employment (POEA) will renew licenses of recruitment agencies, including those with pending recruitment violations.

FAME president Eduardo Mahiya said Labor Secretary Marianito Roque’s decision to revert to the previous policy averted a possible “disaster” in overseas deployment.

“The decision, though long overdue, is welcome news and that is good for the overseas recruitment sector. It could have averted a disaster in terms of lower deployment numbers for the second half of 2008,” Mahiya said.

Roque reached the decision after meeting with the POEA governing board, Mahiya added.

Then labor secretary Arturo Brion earlier assumed authority over issuances of licenses and imposed a policy that prevented licensed agencies with pending recruitment violations from renewing licenses.

Local recruitment industry leaders said Brion’s new policy, which was carried out without consultation, prevented over a hundred agencies from deploying workers overseas with their application for renewal of licenses taking too long to process.

“Brion’s office sat on many applications, which deferred deployment of thousands of OFWs abroad due to delay in the processing of agencies licenses,” Mahiya said.

“I am very glad and thankful that Secretary Roque and POEA administrator Rosalinda Baldoz had seen the wisdom of the industry’s position that the new procedure imposed by former secretary Brion was anti-market and anti-OFW,” Mahiya added.