DMW shuts down ‘illegal’ recruiter of migrant workers

By Keren Anne Bernadas

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced on Thursday that it has ordered the closure of Cander Visa Consultancy Services, Inc. in this city due to its suspected involvement in illegal recruitment activities.

This marks the first closure order issued by the DMW against a business in the Bicol region.

DMW Assistant Secretary for Adjudication Services and Regional Operations Jerome Alcantara led the implementation of the closure order after the agency found probable cause to believe the consultancy firm violated RA 8042, or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, by conducting recruitment activities without the required DMW license and authority.

Alcantara said the case stemmed from surveillance and entrapment operations launched following reports and monitoring of recruitment advertisements posted on Facebook and aired over a local radio station.

According to the DMW, authorities conducted an initial surveillance operation on June 12 after detecting possible illegal recruitment activities. A confirmatory surveillance was later carried out in coordination with the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), culminating in an entrapment operation on June 19.

During the operation, one employee of the company was arrested after allegedly accepting marked money from an applicant as a placement fee.

DMW Bicol Regional Director Jeena Paclibar-Laceda said the advertisements invited nurses, caregivers, speech pathologists, physiologists, and other aspiring overseas workers to attend an orientation on employment opportunities abroad.

She added that during the surveillance, authorities learned that participants in the orientation were informed that total recruitment-related expenses could reach as much as P350,000, despite the company not being licensed or authorized to recruit workers for overseas employment.

Alcantara emphasized that under RA 8042, only recruitment agencies licensed by the DMW are authorized to conduct recruitment activities, including canvassing, enlisting, transporting, hiring, or offering overseas jobs in exchange for payment.

Meanwhile, Paclibar-Laceda said the criminal case against the company will proceed while the DMW further strengthens its surveillance and monitoring of recruitment agencies across the region to prevent similar incidents and ensure that violators are held accountable.

He said the intensified campaign against illegal recruiters and human traffickers is being carried out under the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac to protect aspiring overseas Filipino workers from fraudulent recruitment schemes.

The assistant secretary added that the agency’s investigation will continue to determine whether other individuals were involved in the alleged illegal recruitment operations. He also urged those who may have been victimized by the firm to come forward and coordinate with the DMW so they may be included in the ongoing case and receive legal assistance.

The DMW also reminded the public to verify first whether a recruitment agency is licensed and authorized before applying for overseas jobs or paying recruitment fees.

It likewise urged aspiring overseas workers to remain vigilant against illegal recruitment schemes and immediately report suspicious recruitment activities to the nearest DMW office.

As of posting, the Philippine Information Agency has requested Cander Visa Consultancy Services Inc. for a statement, but has not yet received a response. (PIA Bicol)