100 Filipinos stranded in Macau

MANILA, Philippines - Be wary of job offers in Macau.

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Carlos Cao Jr. yesterday said about a hundred Filipinos are now stranded in Macau after failing to find employment.

Cao warned against accepting job offers of employment in hotels and casinos in Macau, saying many unscrupulous persons are recruiting workers for non-existent jobs there.

He stressed the need for prospective overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to apply only with licensed recruitment agencies and make sure that they have legitimate job orders from foreign employers.

Cao also warned OFWs to be vigilant to avoid being victimized by unscrupulous individuals who are collecting money as processing fee in exchnage for securing loans with the POEA.

He said a certain Ronnie Sonera was caught on video surveillance camera, while collecting money from OFWs applying for a P30,000 loan from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

It was found out that Sonera alias Ronnie Montillano, has been luring OFWs to just apply for loan at the POEA instead of paying a processing fee of P8,799.

But Cao said the POEA does not have lending services and only the OWWA is offering low-interest loans for OFWs.