Ople warns vs. travel consultancy firms offering jobs abroad

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Thursday warned Filipinos anew against travel consultancy firms offering employment opportunities overseas.

“Please do not transact with travel consultancy firms offering jobs abroad. Illegal recruitment 'yan. May naghihintay na one-way ticket sa kulungan ang mga nagpapatakbo ng ganyan [That’s illegal recruitment. A one-way ticket to jail is awaiting those operating it],” DMW Secretary Susan Ople said in a press statement, as the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)’s Anti-Illegal Recruitment Branch (AIRB) foreclosed on a firm in Pampanga that allegedly offered job vacancies in Poland.

According to the DMW chief, surveillance operations of the AIRB found that the company, under the guise of a travel consultancy firm, was offering jobs in Poland for truck drivers, welders, and factory workers with monthly salaries ranging from P35,000 to P124,000.

It also collected processing fees of as much as P122,000 from prospective job applicants under two options—either regular upfront payments or a “fly now, pay later” scheme.

However, Ople said the company was not duly licensed to operate as a recruitment agency and does not have any validated overseas job orders.

The DMW immediately ordered the filing of illegal recruitment charges against the firm following its closure. The company and its staff were also included in their  “List of Persons and Establishments with Derogatory Record,” which will bar them from participating in any of the government’s overseas recruitment programs.

GMA News Online has reached out to the travel consultancy firm for comment.

Meanwhile, Ople urged victims of illegal recruitment schemes to contact the DMW or directly report their cases through the AIRB’s Facebook page. They may also contact the POEA branch through airbranch@dmw.gov.ph, or their hotline at +63 2 8721 0619. — Sundy Locus/BM, GMA Integrated News