DMW to work with DOJ to charge recruiters of Pinoys in Laos scam network

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) will seek the assistance of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to identify and file appropriate charges against the recruiters of dozens of Filipinos who were among the nearly 800 individuals arrested in Laos' crackdown on a cyber scam network.

In a news forum on Saturday, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said that he considers the Filipinos arrested in Laos as "victims of illegal recruitment and human trafficking."

"This appears to be related to a cyber scam operation but we shall await further details on this. And once again, based on the presidential directive, post-arrival assistance is ready. DMW-OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) stands ready to help. DMW particularly stands ready to help upon arrival," Cacdac said.

Once the Filipinos from Laos arrive, the DMW chief said "we will get the statements of the victims para ma-pinpoint sino nag-recruit sa kanila dito sa kanila sa Pilipinas (we will get the statements of the victims to pinpoint who recruited them in the Philippines)."

"We will work with the DOJ in terms of filing the necessary charges," he said.

The Migrant Workers chief said the DMW is also working closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) regarding the case of the Filipinos in Laos because of the absence of a migrant workers office in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR).

Citing a DFA statement, Cacdac said the crackdown on illegal companies within the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone is occurring in Laos' Bokeo Province.

The Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Bokeo, with Chinese-owned casinos and hotels, was a suspected hub for illegal activity in recent years, the Agence France-Presse reported.

A total of 771 people were detained mostly from Laos, Myanmar and China. Some of them were from Burundi, Colombia, Ethiopia, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Mozambique, Tunisia, the Philippines, Uganda and Vietnam.

The crackdown is part of a larger effort to stamp out transnational crimes within the SEZ, according to the report.

Cacdac said that foreign affairs officials led by DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo and Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega are working directly on the issue.

The Philippine Embassy in Vientiane is also working closely with the Lao authorities to repatriate the Filipinos, the DMW chief said.

"So far, seven Filipinos have already been repatriated," Cacdac said.

He added, "May 75 pa. Ang initial figure na naibigay namin was 73, but 75 ang pending repatriation (We still have 75. Our initial figure was 73, but 75 are pending repatriation).

The DMW chief also warned the public not to fall prey to unlicensed recruiters, who entice Filipinos to work in other Southeast Asian countries like Laos.

"Huwag pong pumatol kapag walang work visa at kontrata na dumaan sa DMW at iyong mismong documentation; iyong clearance dapat mayroon kayong hawak na clearance mula sa DMW," he warned.

(Don't fall for supposed opportunities to work without a work visa, DMW-processed contracts, and documentation. Prospective workers must secure clearance from the DMW.)

"Madalas kasi since Laos ito, remember na ASEAN country so based on the visa-free arrangement, napapainan sila noong walang visa but this is ASEAN so that means iyong visa-free arrangement only pertains to tourists," Cacdac said.

(Since Laos is an ASEAN-country, they are baited or lured by the visa-free arrangement in with other countries in the region. However, this regional arrangement only pertains to tourists.)

Anybody leaving the country to employment in an ASEAN nation must have a work visa, Cacdac said. — VDV, GMA Integrated News