DFA warns vs. offers for semi-skilled jobs in China

Philippine officials in China warned prospective overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) against supposed openings for semi-skilled jobs in China, Hong Kong and Macau because these sectors remain restricted and closed to foreigners.   The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the warnings came from the Philippine Embassy in Beijing and the Philippine Consulates General in Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Xiamen, Hong Kong, and Macau.   In a news release, the DFA cited an increasing number of cases of illegal recruitment of Filipinos there. The DFA said unscrupulous individuals are offering Filipinos jobs as household service workers (HSWs), teachers, or musicians in China.   "The modus operandi of these illegal recruiters include promising jobs as household service workers (HSWs) in spite of the prohibition on foreign nationals working in the domestic service sector in China and recruiting through agents in Hong Kong and Macau," it said.   The other modus operandi of illegal recruiters include:

• facilitating the travel of the recruited individuals to China using tourist visas, and
• posing as consultancy companies that offer "training seminar" in China for professional positions.

  However, the DFA said the "trainees" end up being hired out illegally as HSWs, and recruiting via Internet.   In the past months, the Embassy and the Consulates General have assisted and repatriated Filipino victims of illegal recruiters who were recruited for non-existing or illegal jobs, and who ended up staying in China with inappropriate documentation.   The Embassy, the Consulates General and the Office of the Police Liaison Attaché in Beijing continue to assist and repatriate Filipinos who find themselves in a bind due to illegal recruitment.   "They also continue to coordinate with the local Chinese authorities on the arrest, investigation and prosecution of these illegal recruiters," the DFA said.   Meanwhile, the DFA urged victims to report the activities of individuals and recruitment agencies who may be engaged in illegal recruitment to relevant authorities, including the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA), the Department of Labor and Employment  (DOLE) and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). - VVP, GMA News