DMW, CIDG shut down Cubao agency for alleged illegal recruitment on social media

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said its intensified cyber patrolling led to the discovery of social media posts “actively and openly” recruiting Filipino workers for jobs in Greece, Hong Kong, and Qatar despite having no proper license from the agency.

Authorities said the DMW, together with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), conducted an entrapment and closure operation at the agency’s office in Cubao, Quezon City. The operation involved assets who posed as job applicants.

During the entrapment, the agency allegedly asked for more than P300,000 in placement fees for jobs in Greece, including work as a housekeeper and skilled positions such as plumbing.

The DMW also said the agency allegedly collected up to P35,000 in placement fees for jobs in Hong Kong.

DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said three individuals were caught during the operation.

The three agency personnel denied the allegations. 

“Hindi po totoo yun (The allegations are not true),” said one staff member of the closed agency.

Authorities also discovered what was described as a service agreement involving the closed agency, a recruitment agency, and a medical facility, raising concerns that clients may have been referred for pre-employment medical certificates with additional charges.

The DMW said it is still determining how many workers may have been deployed by the agency to Greece, Hong Kong, and Qatar, and that it is contacting them.

The department said workers already abroad will be assisted in fixing the required documents for overseas employment and will be given the chance to file complaints.

The CIDG will evaluate evidence gathered from the entrapment operation.

The DMW said that this case represents the third recruitment agency closed this year. It added that the figure does not include the 32 illegal recruitment agencies closed last year.

The DMW said illegal recruitment cases fueled by social media posts can also lead to human trafficking, which the government wants to stop.

The department cited a previous agreement with TikTok Philippines in 2025 aimed at taking down content offering jobs abroad accompanied by promises such as high salaries and claims that workers do not need documentation required of an OFW.

In December 2025, the DMW said thousands of illegal “jobs abroad” content had already been taken down on TikTok, apart from more than 300 illegal recruitment cases it had filed following raids, surveillance, and closure operations. — VBL, GMA Integrated News