DMW closes down consultancy firm offering seafarer jobs abroad

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Tuesday said it ordered the closure of a consultancy firm in Manila that offered jobs to Filipino seafarers.

In a statement, the DMW said its Migrant Workers Protection Bureau (MWPB), in coordination with the Manila Police, sealed off the office of Double D Training Consultancy Services (DDTC) at Room 301, MBI Building, Ronquillo corner Ongpin Streets in Sta. Cruz.

According to the DMW, it neither licensed nor authorized DDTC to recruit and place Filipino seafarers, or to refer them directly to foreign employers.

“Itong si DDTC wala silang lisensya kaya wala silang karapatan na mag-hire o mag-deploy ng seafarers sa abroad,” DMW Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo J. Cacdac said.

(The DDTC does not have a license, thus they do not have the rights to hire or deploy seafarers abroad.)

MWPB surveillance operations revealed that DDTC charged a P80,000 processing fee per applicant for various sea-based positions, such as able-bodied seaman, oiler, and engineer.

DDTC’s shutdown will result in its inclusion, as well as its staff, in DMW’s “List of Persons and Establishments with Derogatory Record” to stop them from participating in the government’s overseas recruitment program.

Further, the firm would also face charges of syndicated illegal recruitment.

In a 24 Oras report by Marisol Abdurahman on Tuesday, the firm’s administration officer denied the illegal recruitment allegations and claimed that they were merely consulting agencies.

“Nagsimula lang naman po kami nung pandemic, tumulong lang po kami mag process ng mga COP. Actually, andami-dami pong seaman na natulungan lang po namin,” said DDTC Admin Officer Diana Gabriel.

“Hindi naman kasi yun yung issue. May ni-refer pong mga ano… bawal din po kasi yun ma’am, yung pag-refer niyo sa seafarers,” said DMW Attorney Eric Dollete.

The DMW would also question licensed recruitment agencies that accepted referrals from DDTC.

“They should not be employing agents. Dapat walang ahente, dapat empleyado lang nila,” said DMW Assistant Secretary Francis de Guzman.

The DMW encouraged the alleged victims of DDTC to contact the MWPB through its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/dmwairtip, email at mwpb@dmw.gov.ph or through their hotline number +63 2 8721-0619 for legal assistance in filing cases against the company.

“To our kababayans, especially those who want to work overseas, do not deal with consultancy firms that offer to get you jobs abroad. Always check the DMW website (www.dmw.gov.ph) for the list of licensed agencies and approved job orders,” Cacdac said. — DVM, GMA Integrated News