Duterte wants stricter regulation of OFW recruitment, Bello clarifies

President Rodrigo Duterte, who bared plans to place the recruitment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) under the exclusive control of the government, did not necessarily mean it would be the end of private recruitment agencies, according to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.

"Hindi naman po," the Labor chief told Dobol B sa News TV on Saturday. "Tututukan lang nang mabuti 'yung kanilang mga activities, especially doon sa pagre-recruit."

Bello made the clarification a day after Duterte said he wants to place the recruitment of OFWs under the direct and exclusive control of the government if private agencies would fail to shape up and prevent the abuse of migrants.

"Buong Pilipinas 'to bawal na 'yang recruitment diyan sa labas," the President said Friday during the Araw ng Pasasalamat for OFWs event in Camp Aguinaldo.

"I have the power to do that because that kind of mechanism of recruiting Filipino workers abroad has been abused and abused and abused at ang mga kababayan ko puro biktima, puro kawawa," he added.

"Kaya kayong mga recruitment, bilang talaga ang araw niyo. 'Pag hindi ko kayo nadala sa usapan na maganda, brasuhan tayo."

In the same speech, Duterte renewed his call for the creation of a Department of OFW, which will entail a law to be passed by Congress, by December.

According to Bello, he is working together with Senator Christopher "Bong" Go to get the job done.

"After nu'ng kanyang speech, nag-usap kami (Duterte)...(sabi niya): Kaya po ba 'yan hanggang December? Sabi ko: Sir, kakayanin," said the Labor chief.

"Nag-usap din kami ni Senator Bong after nu'ng meeting ni Duterte. Nagkita kami ni Senator Bong at sabi ko, 'Let's work together and come up with a new law that will not only treat the OFW pati na rin 'yung labor,'" he added.

"Ang labor kasi, ang dami kasing responsibility pero walang powers, the secretary said.

Bello said reports about recruitment agencies duping hardworking OFWs and not complying with regulations have greatly irked the President.

"Kasi napapansin niya at maraming nakarating na reklamo sa kaniya galing sa kababayan nating OFW na sobra pong maningil ng placement fee," Bello said.

"In fact nga, alam naman natin na...walang placement fee kapag ang overseas worker ay household service worker—'yung dating tinatawag na TA—pero ganu'n pa man, marami pa ring naniningil at sobra-sobra," he said.

"For example," Bello added, "alam nila na bawal magpadala ng mga minors, 'yung mga less than 23 years old... Pero ang daming nagre-recruit ng less than 23 years old."

"So ito ang nag-motivate sa ating Pangulo na kailangan na nga ng strict regulation," he said. —Margaret Claire Layug/KG, GMA News