Ople wants use of agents to recruit OFWs criminalized

Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan "Toots" Ople on Wednesday proposed the criminalization of the use of agents to recruit domestic helpers bound overseas.

Ople made the proposal as the Senate conducted a hearing on the death of Jovelyn Tang Andres, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Saudi Arabia.

Andres was apparently recruited by a certain Emma Fernandez, who, according to the head of a Philippine-based recruitment agency, is a secretary of Saudi Arabia-based firm who was directed to go to the Philippines to follow up with the applicants.

According to Ople, that was prohibited as only employees of a local recruitment agency could process the employment of applicants.

Asked if Fernandez could be considered as an illegal recruiter, Ople answered in the affirmative.

"Illegal recruiter siya dahil hindi siya empleyado ng isang licensed agency. Pangalawa, sir, malamang commission basis 'yan. Bukod sa pinapunta siya dito, malamang bawat nire-recruit niya, lalo na sa probinsya, may commission po 'yan," Ople said.

Ople believes that this type of recruitment is one of the reasons behind numerous welfare cases since there are no accountabilities on the part of these agents.

"Ang unang naglalaho po ay 'yung ahente. Pag nakuha na niya ang commission niya, wala na po 'yun, goodye na po 'yun sa pamilya. Pangalawa po, base na rin sa nakikita ko, as secretary...halos lahat po ng recruitment agencies na nagde-deploy ng mga kasambahay, nagre-resort sa mga ahente para ma-meet nila yung job orders nila and 'yan po'y isa sa mga pinagbabawal ng POEA. Kasi hindi accountable. Invisible to the eye of the government," she said, referring to the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency.

"Siguro po sa panukalang batas, if I may, Mr. chair, baka dapat i-criminalize na rin po 'yung paggamit ng mga ahente bilang extension ng mga recruitment agencies kasi 'yan po 'yung talagang one for the money na tipo ng transaction po," she added.

A migrant workers rights advocate before she was appointed to head the DMW, Ople said they will meet with different associations and recruitment agencies that deploy domestic helpers abroad to address the rampant recruitment of OFWs through agents.

She also said Migrant Workers Undersecretary Patricia Yvonne Caunan will go to Saudi Arabia in October and the appropriate actions to be taken against the Saudi Arabia-based recruitment firm in the case of Andres is expected to be tackled in the meeting.

On Tuesday, Senator Raffy Tulfo delivered a privilege speech on the case of Andres, a 33-year-old OFW from Sarangani.

According to Tulfo, Andres was deployed to Sakaka, Saudi Arabia on November 27, 2021, and she only knew that she was pregnant when she started working for her employer.

On March 25, 2022, Andres was found dead inside the bathroom of the recruitment firm's accommodation in what is believed to be a a case of suicide. Tulfo, however, questioned the different versions of the circumstances prior to her death.

Tulfo said some reports claim that Andres wanted to go back to the Philippines as she was having a hard time and was forced to abort her baby before she committed suicide.

Anders' remains arrived in the Philippines on September 17. —KBK, GMA News