POEA suspends 4 recruitment firms

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has suspended four recruitment agencies from sending workers abroad for allegedly deploying underage household service workers (HSWs) and other recruitment violations, an official said yesterday.

POEA chief Hans Cacdac said they have issued separate preventive suspension orders against Happy World Human Resource and Recruitment Agency Inc., B&E Overseas Manpower Services Corp., AFT International Manpower Services, and A-M Professional Services Corp. “to prevent them from further circumventing government policies that seek to protect our household workers from abuse.”

Based on the complaints, the four agencies deployed teenage HSWs to Qatar, illegally collected placement fees and falsified travel documents.

Under existing POEA rules, the minimum age of HSWs is 23, the minimum entry salary is $400 and they must undergo language orientation seminars, Cacdac said.

According to Cacdac, the Senate’s ratification of ILO Convention 189 or the Decent Work for Domestic Workers Convention further strengthened the POEA’s resolve to enforce special measures to safeguard the rights and welfare of Filipino HSWs.

From January to September, the POEA has cancelled the licenses of 10 recruitment agencies charged with violation of specific rules on HSWs.

Cacdac identified the agencies as Lucky International Placement Services, Inc., Dreams Manpower and Recruitment Agency, Multi System Conexions International Inc., Hope International Manpower Services, Ritz Manpower Services, Philippine Integrated Labor Assistance Corp., Pacific Mediteranian International Manpower Agency Inc., First Asian Career Solutions, Inc., Versatile International Services Inc., and M.R.C. Promotion and Management Inc.