POEA shuts down 2 firms

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has penalized two agencies for violating recruitment regulations, an official said Friday.

POEA chief Hans Cacdac said they cancelled the license of SML Human Resources for excessive collection of placement fees from domestic helpers deployed to Singapore.

Cacdac stressed that recruitment agencies are prohibited from collecting placement fees from household service workers (HSWs) deployed overseas.

“Recruitment agencies are not allowed to collect placement fees and yet SML Human Resources informed the HSW that fees will be deducted from her salaries for eight months,” Cacdac noted.

“That is why instead of receiving a monthly salary of 520 Singapore dollars the worker is only getting 70 Singapore dollars,” he added.

Cacdac said the HSW also complained that other provisions in her contract were not fulfilled.

Under the rules, Cacdac said, the POEA can cancel the license of an agency found guilty of illegally collecting placement fees and for misrepresentation.

According to Cacdac, it was the third time that SML Human Resources committed misrepresentation.

Cacdac also reported that with the help of the Philippine National Police, the POEA closed down Pearl Asia Travel and Tours in Sta. Cruz, Manila for illegal recruitment.

The POEA chief said the travel agency claimed that seafarers, bartenders and housekeepers would be deployed to work in a cruise ship.

But Cacdac said the Pearl Asia has no license from the POEA and is not allowed to recruit and deploy Filipino workers abroad.

He said POEA has filed an illegal recruitment case against Pearl Asia manager Razel Bande and other officials before the Department of Justice.