Pasay probes scam at government job fair

MANILA, Philippines – The Pasay City government is investigating a company for allegedly demanding P500 in fees from its applicants after it “gate-crashed” a job fair held in the city last May 14.

Mayor Wenceslao Trinidad said a Pasay-based agency just showed up at the SSS Jobs Fair held at the HK Sun Plaza along Roxas Boulevard, though it was not included in the official list of participating companies. The company reportedly hired several applicants on the spot.

However, when the applicants reported to the agency, the recruiters asked them to pay P500 before they can sell the company’s products.

“Should it be found guilty, we will immediately revoke its license. We are also studying other possible charges that we can file against the firm,” Trinidad said.

Concerned officials refused to name the company pending the results of the investigation but Greg Alcera, Trinidad’s chief-of-staff, said the subject of an ongoing probe is a trading firm.

“We just need to first proceed with the investigation and for the complainants to formally execute an affidavit against the company, then it will be proper to reveal its identity,” he said.

Trinidad warned “unscrupulous agencies that I will go after them if they will use our job fairs for their illegal activities. We are working hard to provide our constituents with available jobs and I want to ensure that applicants are safe from scams.”

He said the city’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO) coordinated with the Department of Labor and Employment, the Pasay Business Permit and Licensing Office and the local police on the matter.

To date, Pasay holds job fairs every Wednesday, apart from four mega job fairs each year. In addition, the city also participates in job fairs initiated by the national government and the private sector.

PESO officer-in-charge Jorge Castro said he requested the city administrator’s office to provide them a monitoring team to ensure “a scam-free job fair” and prevent the entry of illegal recruiters.

“The monitoring team can also monitor whether the companies are implementing Ordinance 3522. This is important because it will also help us increase employment in the city,” Castro said.

Under Ordinance 3522, all business establishments in Pasay City are mandated to hire 60 percent of the total workforce from the city’s residents.