MANILA – A government agency has ordered the closure of seven firms and the suspension of five others for illegal recruitment in connection with their offer to employ 137 Filipino bus drivers for non-existent jobs in Dubai.
Han Cacdac, the deputy administrator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), said the severe penalties were imposed following an investigation of the complaints filed against the firms by the Filipino drivers.
In a 71-page resolution, Cacdac identified the seven erring firms closed down as: CYM International Services and Placement Agency, SGA-Sahara International Manpower Services, Across Universe International Manpower Agency, Jenvic International Manpower Services, BML Worldwide Manpower Services Incorporated, Richfield Overseas Employment Company and AlAnwar International Manpower.
Cacdac said the POEA revoked the business licenses of the seven companies after they were found liable for violating the government’s recruitment regulations.
“With the revocation of their licenses, these agencies are now disqualified from engaging in the businesss of recruitment and placement of Filipino workers abroad,” he emphasized.
At the same time, Cacdac said the POEA also suspended the business licenses of and imposed fines on five other recruitment agencies for their involvement in the illegal deployment of the 137 Filipino drivers.
The agencies, he said, are Vigor International Manpower Services (six-month suspension and fine equivalent to $1,100), Bridgewood Human Resources Company (eight months, $1,250), Expert Placement Agency (13 months, $2,500), Dreams Manpower and Recruitment Agency (26 months, $4,100) and Hana Star Corporation (26 months, $5,300).
The POEA warned Filipinos who want to work abroad not to deal with the 12 agencies while the closure and suspension orders are in effect.
Cacdac explained the variation of the penalties imposed depended on the number of the Filipino bus drivers whose papers they had processed after CMY International had farmed it out to them.
Earlier, CMY International announced they were recruiting Filipino drivers for the supposed 4,000 job openings at the Dubai Road Transport Authority.
Based on on the POEA investigation, Cacdac said CMY International promised high-paying jobs to the drivers and later distributed the application forms to the other agencies.
The drivers were provided only visit visas after paying the equivalent of between $2,000 and $3,000 each for the placement fees, which were obtained mostly from a lending company, identified as the RJ Lacaba Lending Agency.
In the POEA order, Cacdac revealed that except for those who signed affidavits of desistance, the drivers would get refunds for whatever they had paid or given to the recruiter or the RJ Lacaba Lending Agency.
An affidavit of desistance is a legal document in which a person expresses his/her intention not to pursue a complaint filed against another individual or a company.
The refunds, Cacdac pointed out, would be charged against the escrow deposits made by the 12 erring recruiters to the POEA.
Majority of the bus drivers were eventually repatriated while the government and an organization of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) based in Dubai succeeded in negotiating for the hiring of others to various companies not only in Dubai but also in neighboring states in the region.
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