MANILA – The Department of Labor and Employment on Wednesday said it has no control over businesses being built on Boracay Island, adding it is monitoring the potential recruitment of foreign workers for jobs fit for Filipinos.
“‘Yung tungkol sa negosyo wala tayong magagawa kasi tayo we are in trade relations with other countries kaya kung may mag invest dito ok sa atin. Ang panget d’yan kung ang magtatayo ng business dito ay dayuhan din ang kanilang gagamiting mga mangagawa. ‘Yun ang mali. We will not allow that,” said Labor secretary Silvestre Bello III
“On red alert ang ating labor law compliance officer. Hindi namin binabanggit sa publiko, meron kaming mga inspector na ini-inspect lahat ito ‘yung Boracay at POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators),” he added.
The Department of Finance recently ordered the consolidation of all foreign nationals working for POGOs to ensure correct taxes are being paid.
Bello said the interagency task force, mandated to compile the list, would release the detailed result of the “massive” inspection in POGOs and the country’s economic zones.
Although the government is working on solving labor and tax issues involving foreign nationals, Bello said there were loopholes that needed to be addressed.
Foreign workers found to be working without an alien employment permit (AEP), for example, are only fined P10,000, Bello said.
“Napakaliit eh kayang-kaya nila ‘yan. Bilyong bilyon ang kinikita ng mga lintik na ‘yan eh,” he said.
DOLE also does not have enough inspectors, currently at 800, to monitor almost 1 million establishments in the country, he said.
Bello had urged citizens to report foreign nationals that are seen working for jobs that can be done by Filipinos. Smart and Globe Telecom subscribers can reach DOLE’s hotline by dialing 1-3-4-9 without any prefix. (ABS-CBN News)
