Government cracking down on digital illegal recruitment

MANILA, Philippines — The newly created Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is launching a crackdown against illegal online recruitment, which the agency described as the new battlefield.

In an interview with “The Chiefs” aired on One News last Monday night, Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople stressed the government’s need for a campaign primarily focused against illegal online recruitment.

Ople said the creation of a task force against online illegal recruitment is one of the priority programs of the DMW.

“What will make it different (from other illegal recruitment task forces) is that we will look at online illegal recruitment because what is happening now is that online illegal recruitment’s victims have become exponential,” she said in English and Filipino.

She added that illegal recruiters could just post a non-existent overseas job offer and just directly message all those who would comment and collect fees through e-payment.

In one day, an illegal recruiter could victimize an average of 500 aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), according to the DMW chief.

“We really need to address online illegal recruitment,” she said, adding that the DMW is looking at the possibility of using the laws of other countries to accelerate the campaign.

Ople cited the United Arab Emirates as having become the recruitment ground for illegal recruitment of Filipino domestic helpers to Syria, Lebanon and other Gulf countries.

“So we need to create a task force for a very focused campaign that will make us a different platform, we know where the battle is and right now we know the battlefield is really online,” she said.

“The order (for the creation of the task force) is now being prepared so I can sign it and we can start on that front,” she added.

Aside from the campaign against illegal recruitment, Ople said the DMW is also eyeing establishing a mobile transaction system to ease and shorten the process of deploying OFWs abroad.

“We are now looking at ways to improve our present system through automation. For example, the overseas employment certificate we are now looking at (deals with) how to cut the number of steps, how to cut the number of requirements and what kind of digital platform we can use,” she added.

The current transaction system for OFWs and foreign employers is not mobile phone-ready, according to the DMW chief.

Every Filipino seeking employment abroad is required to secure an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC), which Ople said serves as proof of legal deployment.

She added that the OEC intends to highlight the benefits of living as legitimate OFWs; however, it has become a symbol of bureaucratic requirements and even serves as a collection tool for government fees.

“What we want is for the process to become automated, so in the end, the OEC is in the mobile phone of the worker,” she said, adding that OFWs would no longer have to queue to secure the certificate.

The DMW is working with the Department of Information and Communication (DICT) to make the OEC mobile downloadable upon submission of the requirements.

Although the digitalization program is difficult to adopt, Ople said that they are proceeding and it would happen “very soon.”

She revealed that the DMW is also working to shorten the process of hiring OFWs from the current average of three months to less than a month.

Today, the DMW is set to launch the One Repatriation Command Center (ORCC), which will handle all repatriation requests from OFWs, although the DMW is still awaiting the approval of its annual budget expected to be released early next year.

While they are now working on a budget from the DOLE agencies that were merged with the DMW, Ople emphasized that nothing could prevent the agency from rolling out new programs and enhancing existing ones.

She and the rest of her team are working without pay, but Ople said that is the least of their worries.

OFW Children’s Circle

To address the social cost of migration in the country, the government is forming the so-called OFW Children’s Circle (OCC).

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) allotted an initial P15 million for the operations and implementation of the program.

“The OCC aims to help OFW children to achieve their full potential in community- and nation-building,” the OWWA said, noting that it would address the negative effect of the separation from their parents.

The program will also negate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other global emergencies and specifically showcase the talents of OFW children and improve their socialization skills, according to the OWWA.

The OCC is also targeted to foster awareness in youth-centered and civic advocacies such as environment and climate change, values reorientation, digital literacy and anti-drugs and substance abuse.

It is also intended to build camaraderie among OFW children, develop potential leaders among them and encourage the formation of OCCs.

Children of OFWs shall be encouraged to participate in policy and program development.

The OWWA said the OCC shall be the agency’s new flagship program for the protection and welfare of OFW’s children.

The OWWA Board of Trustees, headed by Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, previously approved a resolution for the formation of the OCC.

The OWWA Board came out with the resolution upon the order of President Marcos to embark on a program for the welfare and protection of OFWs’ families.

The OCC shall be initially implemented by OWWA Regional Welfare Offices in the National Capital Region, Ilocos Region, Southern Tagalog, Central Visayas and Davao Region.