POLO suspends 39 recruitment agencies in Saudi Arabia; 40 employers blacklisted

The Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia suspended 39 errant Saudi recruitment agencies and 18 companies, as well as blacklisted over 40 rogue employers this past month.

“This is part of our campaign to cleanse the recruitment agencies. We have over 600 Saudi recruitment agencies, but maybe we can compress this number to 100 or even less in the coming months. We do not need many recruitment agencies, we just need a few good ones, which can be our partners,” said Labor Attaché Fidel Macauyag in a statement on Sunday, adding that it is the "only way" to lessen welfare cases among Filipinos working abroad.

In addition, Macauyag said POLO created a team of welfare officers and support staff called Team Camel to assist distressed OFWs.

POLO Riyadh is also strictly implementing verification of companies to make sure that recruitment agencies and firms in Saudi Arabia are legitimate and following standards, Macauyag said.

Meanwhile, Macauyag also noted that POLO Riyadh's team also meets with recruitment agencies to ensure that they show Filipino workers "compassion."

“We tell owners of recruitment agencies that they should have a welfare officer who has the skill and the compassion to take care of our OFWs, especially the distressed ones. Agencies are solidary and jointly liable with employers. That is why if anything bad happens to our OFWs, this is part of their responsibility,” said Macauyag.

Last week, the Department of Labor and Employment temporarily halted the deployment of OFWs after reports that departing workers were being required by their foreign recruitment agencies and employers to shoulder the costs of the health and safety protocols for COVID-19 and insurance coverage. — DVM, GMA News