Recruitment agency faces closure

MANILA, Philippines - A licensed recruitment agency faces closure for conspiring with unlicensed agency in recruiting Filipino domestic helpers for Hong Kong, an official said yesterday.

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Hans Cacdac said they are filing charges against SBEE International Inc., which investigators found to be recruiting domestic workers using an unlicensed agency, Helper-In Employment Center.

The Manila Police District (MPD) earlier enforced a POEA-issued closure order against Helper-In, whose office is located at Ester Building on Taft Avenue.

Cacdac said an investigation showed that Helper-In has been recruiting domestic workers for Hong Kong and forwarding the applicants’ papers to SBEE International Inc. for processing.

Helper-In is allegedly owned by SBEE vice president Lorna de Dios.

The POEA’s prosecution division will file charges against De Dios and five employees of Helper-In, Cacdac said, adding that the names of the agency’s officers and employees will be included in the POEA’s list of persons with derogatory records.

The POEA will file separate illegal recruitment charges against SBEE, Cacdac said.