DMW: 100 recruitment agencies approved for KSA deployment

Around 100 recruitment agencies have been approved so far for the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Wednesday.

Interviewed on GMA News’ Unang Balita, DMW Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople said the approval of more agencies is still ongoing.

“Nag-approve na kami ng 100 na recruitment agencies dito tsaka sa Saudi Arabia. Patuloy 'yung pag-aapprove namin,” Ople said.

(We approved 100 recruitment agencies here and in KSA. We continue to approve more agencies.)

Ople added that labor attachés are now screening job orders.

According to her, thousands of OFWs including construction and domestic workers are expected to be deployed to KSA.

The Philippines lifted its ban on the deployment of OFWs to KSA on November 7.

Last year, the Philippine government imposed a deployment ban on household service workers to KSA due to unpaid salaries of OFWs in Saudi Arabia.

The DMW is now creating a whitelist and blacklist of recruitment agencies. Whitelisted agencies are approved by Philippine and KSA governments, while blacklisted ones have pending cases.

According to DMW, only whitelisted recruitment agencies will be allowed to deploy workers to KSA.

Meanwhile, the DMW earlier warned against unscrupulous individuals posing as “middlemen” for the claiming of unpaid salaries of around 10,000 OFWs in KSA.

The salaries have been left unpaid by several construction companies which went into bankruptcy.

KSA has committed to allocate some 2 billion riyals for the payment of the OFWs’ unpaid claims. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman relayed the news to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Thailand. —KG, GMA Integrated News