Overseas artists, managers protest court ruling vs DOLE

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has gained the backing of overseas performing artists and talent managers in its efforts to curb the illegal activities of recruitment agencies in the country.

Bonding together to form the group Society of Artistic Performers (SOAP), overseas performing artists and talent managers expressed strong opposition to moves by recruiters to prevent government agencies from regulating the recruitment industry.

SOAP president Annabeth Mora said their group is against moves by recruitment agencies to permanently stop DOLE and other concerned government agencies from training, accrediting and testing artists for overseas employment.

The group Cruzada, which claims to be an umbrella organization of recruitment agencies, is set to file a petition for permanent injunction against DOLE and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)

However, the Confederation of Artist Managers and Developers Association (CAMDA) said that Cruzada does not represent the voice of the entire overseas recruitment industry.

"We believe in the intention of the government to improve the welfare and interest of overseas workers," Mora said as she revealed that some unscrupulous people have been trying to confuse the government and the entertainment industry.

She pointed out that an earlier court ruling deregulating POEA and DOLE has adversely affected the overseas entertainment industry, considered to be among the major dollar earners in the country.

Acting upon the petition filed by a group of recruiters, Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Lucas Bersamin has issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting DOLE, POEA and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) from exercising adjudicatory functions over recruitment violation cases.

The lower court decision also prohibited these government agencies from regulating the migration of Filipino workers.

Mora said there is a need to reverse the decision as it has led to chaos, delaying the deployment of hundreds of Filipino artists for employment abroad.

POEA earlier warned of a dramatic decline in the country’s annual deployment of 60,000 performing artists if the court will restrict the government from enforcing new regulations on this deployment.