POEA invites ad agencies, PR firms to join drive vs. illegal recruiters, traffickers

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has started inviting ad agencies and public relations firms to join the government's campaign against illegal recruiters and human traffickers.

POEA head Hans Leo Cacdac issued the invitation via his Twitter account Thursday, a day after the Labor Department called for more action against illegal recruitment and human trafficking.

"Any ad agencies, PR firms or their industry associations interested in joining the campaign against illegal recruitment and human trafficking?" Cacdac said.

DOLE to keep warning OFWs against being used by drug rings

With a Filipina facing execution in Indonesia for a drug-related offense, the Department of Labor and Employment on Saturday said it will continue reminding overseas Filipino workers against unwittingly being used as drug mules.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the reminders are issued during pre-employment orientation seminars and re-deployment.

POEA clamps down on illegal recruitment firms

The operation of a manning agency allegedly recruiting Filipino seafarers was shut down due to the lack of licenses from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac ordered the closure of West Coast Maritime Services, located at Room 420, 4th Floor, Vicente Madrigal Building, Escolta Street in Manila.

"West Coast Maritime Services has committed acts of illegal recruitment as defined by Republic Act No. 8042 and the Philippine Labor Code that justified the closure order,” Cacdac said.

Aside from its closure, the name of the firm, as well as its officers and employees, will be included in the List of Persons and Establishments with Derogatory Record. They will be disqualified from participating in the overseas employment program of the government.

DOLE: PHL hopes no more Pinoy maids will be abused by 2016

The Philippine government is hoping that no Filipino domestic worker will be abused by 2016, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz told GMA News Online on Wednesday.

In a phone interview, Baldoz said the 2016 target is part of a five-year program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) against the abuse of overseas Filipino household helpers.

“The five-year phase-out program [against abusive employer] address exploitation and maltreatment against OFW household service workers,” Baldoz said.

“By 2016, dapat wala na tayong mabalitaan na may household service worker na tumakas dahil siya ay critically abused, verbally or sexually. We hope that they will be with good and qualified employers only,” she added.

To protect Pinoy workers, recruitment agencies adopt Code of Ethics

To protect overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), at least 28 land- and sea-based recruitment agencies adopted Codes of Ethics, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.

“We welcome this move from the overseas employment sector and we commend them for their commitment to safeguard the interest, not only of their industry, but also of our overseas Filipino workers,” Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said in a news release.

The 23 land-based recruitment agencies' associations and five sea-based manning agency groups signed their codes last Migrant Workers’ Day in June.

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration chief Hans Leo Cacdac said the land-based group pledged to observe what is best for the workers, the sector they represent, and their stakeholders.

DOLE to runaway Pinoy workers in UAE: Don't cross borders to Oman

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday warned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) against crossing the border to Oman.

In a news release, DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz warned runaway OFWs against this practice, saying Oman no longer issues working visas to Filipinos crossing the Oman-UAE border.

Citing a report of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Muscat, Baldoz said Oman's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued instructions "not to issue working visas to Filipinos crossing the border from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), without a no-objection certificate (NOC) from POLO-Oman."

DOLE: Demand high for construction workers in PHL, abroad

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday encouraged high school students to take training courses in construction as there is a high demand for workers in that field, both in the local and international market.

In a news release, DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said: “Salaries of construction workers can even go up as high as P50,000 for highly-trained workers."

"Meanwhile, tuition for courses related to construction only cost about P3,000 to P15,000, depending on the duration and type of training,” she said.

DOLE: 4M overseas, local jobs await jobseekers in 2012

As many as four million local and overseas jobs will become available for Filipino jobseekers this year, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said yesterday.

Labor Undersecretary Danilo Cruz said at least 1.5 million jobs are projected to be generated by the local construction industry alone and another 1.5 million vacancies for those desiring to work overseas.

Cruz said the government is mounting massive infrastructure projects in 2012 that could create a minimum of 1.5 million to as many as 2.9 million local hires this year.

“We have big expectations in 2012 for local employment because of infrastructure projects to be funded by the government and private sector, and this could provide employment for engineers, heavy equipment operators, welders and other highly skilled workers,” he said.