Death penalty not sole option vs illegal recruitment – DOLE

MANILA, Philippines – Capital punishment for convicted illegal recruiters is not the only option for the administration of president-elect Rodrigo Duterte to eradicate the problem, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said yesterday.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz clarified that although she is endorsing a review of existing law against illegal recruitment, the incoming president might choose other remedial measures.

“I believe strong remedial measures must be implemented to complement preventive efforts, that is why we at the DOLE have never ceased coming up with ways, such as the mandatory Pre- Employment Orientation Seminar (PEOS) online, to educate Filipinos about the illegal recruitment menace,” Baldoz said.

The existing Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act, as amended by Republic Act 10022, categorizes syndicated (three or more conspirators) or large-scale (three or more victims) illegal recruitment as “economic sabotage” punishable by life imprisonment and a fine ranging from P2 million to P5 million.

“If some in our society believe that the penalty under existing law for illegal recruitment is not enough, the next stiffest penalty to life imprisonment is the death penalty and the next administration may want to review the heinous nature of the crime as basis for the imposition of the death penalty,” Baldoz explained.

However, Baldoz said, she is not advocating capital punishment as she is a pro-life believer.