Manila – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) were recently tasked to have a crackdown on illegal recruiters.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday ordered the two agencies to intensify the government’s anti-illegal recruitment campaign to ensure the welfare of the overseas Filipino workers.
“I used the word ‘general’ because I am sending (Social Welfare secretary Rolando Bautista) a message now that you have to do more. Since you are a military man, then I hope you can come up with a structure, a bigger one to go after itong recruitment, and so goes for the (DOLE) and everybody,” Duterte said.
“My orders are really to get them. You should know where to fish for them… You know illegal recruitment is non-bailable. Well, sometimes it’s a very sad thing to be here knowing that there are still plenty of Filipinos going abroad,” he added.
“Kayong mga recruiter, I am putting you on the level na parang shabu rin,” he said. “Galit ako talaga sa mga recruiter na ginawang g*** ang Pinoy. Diyan ako galit, at puwede talaga kitang patayin sa nangyayari sa Pilipino.”
Earlier this year, Duterte vowed to establish an executive department that would handle matters concerning Filipino migrant workers by December and to put the recruitment of Filipinos under government supervision, arguing that the practice has been “abused” by private firms.
Illegal recruitment is any act of canvassing, enlisting, contracting, transporting, utilizing, hiring, or procuring workers for employment abroad when undertaken by non-licensee or non-holder of authority.
Penalty of life imprisonment shall be imposed if illegal recruitment constitutes economic sabotage, wherein a syndicate or a group of three persons or more conspired to commit the activity, as stated in Rule IV, Section 5 of Republic Act 10022./PN
