14 victims of illegal recruiters await deportation in KL

Fourteen Filipinos victimized by illegal recruiters are awaiting deportation from Malaysia. Charge d’affaires Anne J. Louis of the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur said the Filipinos, all male between 18 and 36 years old, were promised high-paying jobs in Malaysia as factory workers but went there as tourists. The Filipinos were recruited from the provinces of La Union and Nueva Vizcaya and General Santos City. Their recruiters facilitated their entry into Malaysia as tourists with a promise that their working permits will be processed upon their arrival in the country. After paying varying amounts of money as job placement fees, the recruiters abandoned the jobseekers who sought the embassy’s assistance in batches last Monday and Tuesday. The men were recruited and deployed to Malaysia by different ‘agents’ and were promised jobs in factories with monthly salaries of between P20,000 and P30,000. Those recruited from Nueva Vizcaya and La Union paid P35,000 each to their recruiters, while those from General Santos City paid as much as P100,000 each as placement fees. They were also advised to pay another P15,000 each to a Filipino couple in Malaysia , who met them upon arrival in Kuala Lumpur. The Filipinos entered Malaysia as tourists in batches on June 22, 23, 27 and July 7. After a few days in Kuala Lumpur, they were taken to Johor Bahru at the border with Singapore, a five-hour drive from the Malaysian capital. In Johor Bahru, a Malaysian agent met and brought them to a tile factory, where they worked for only five days because their services were terminated by the employer after the Malaysian agent failed to get their required working permits. The Filipinos said that the factory ceased operations after they were terminated from work. By this time, they were already abandoned by their respective Malaysian agents. From Johor Bahru, they traveled to Kuala Lumpur to seek the Embassy’s assistance for their immediate repatriation to the Philippines. Five of the victims were accommodated at the Filipino Workers’ Resource Center (FWRC) while the other nine are staying at the Embassy premises. Given the plight of the 14 jobseekers, the Philippine Embassy renewed its call overseas job applicants to apply only at employment agencies registered with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to avoid being victimized by illegal recruiters. Those in the provinces should inquire about the legitimacy of recruiters who approach them. They should contact the DFA Regional Consular Offices or the regional offices of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA). - GMANews.TV