Duterte orders DSWD: Step up campaign vs illegal recruitment

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has ordered Secretary Rolando Bautista of the Department of Social Welfare and Development to step up the campaign against illegal recruitment of Filipinos for work overseas to stop what he described as “modern-day slavery.”

“My orders are really to get them. You should know where to fish for them. And return them to the water because they are fish,” the President said on Thursday night.

Duterte issued the directive during the national awarding for the Presidential Award for Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities (PACFMC), noting that illegal recruitment is a non-bailable offense in the Philippines.

“You know, ang 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 said.

Duterte has expressed confidence that Baustista, being a former military man, can take up the challenge.

“I used the word general because I am sending him a message now that you have to do more. Since you are a military man then I hope that you can come up with a structure… a bigger one to go after itong (this) recruitment,” Duterte said.

The President called on the Department of Labor and Employment as well as other concerned agencies to address the problem.

He also unleashed more attacks against the United Nations for failing to act on piracy in West Africa where many sailors, particularly Filipino seamen, become prey to pirates.

“Ang isip-isip ko, I’m kind of telling the United Nations. Napaka-inutil naman ninyo diyan (You are so useless). I mean… It has been an inutile body, actually. The United Nations has failed to establish order in this planet,” the President continued.

Duterte noted that while the UN has been critical of his drug war, they remained mum on more important issues, like piracy, in other parts of the world.

The President was apparently concerned about reports that at least nine Filipinos are being held by pirates in West Africa since early this month, although he did not specifically mention it in his speech.

As a leader, Duterte said he needs to flex some muscle and issue some hard stance statements to be able to help prove his point to foreign nations and seek help for the distressed Filipinos.

“At one time, hinamon ko ang (I challenged) Seoul sa South Korea kasi na-kidnap sabay sa mga Pilipino (they were kidnapped together with Filipinos). Sabi ko, kung pumayag ka (I said if you agree), I will send my Navy ships there and patrol the areas. And whenever you see the idiots there, fire your cannons and blast them to kingdom come. Do not give them a chance to live and to kidnap again,” he said.

Duterte said his patience was running out and since Bautista was an Army man, he can coordinate with the Navy.

“I will send the Navy there. And ‘pag nakita nila ‘yung mga… Patayin na lang nila. Tabla-tabla na lang (If they see those… just kill them, just tit for tat),” the President said.

Duterte said he does not mind being accused of violating human rights as long as he is able to save distressed Filipinos.

Illegal recruitment on social media

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) is on heightened alert against illegal recruitment syndicates following a report from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on alleged illegal recruiters using social media to deploy overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Iraq.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said that all immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila and other ports have been ordered to rigidly screen Filipinos traveling to Dubai.

Morente said that the government is strictly screening Filipinos due to the ongoing ban on deployment of OFWs to Iraq, as he emphasized that illegal recruiters are falsely claiming that the ban there has been lifted.

The BI chief also instructed airport officers to monitor names of several OFWs allegedly illegally recruited to work as restaurant waiters in Baghdad, which the bureau obtained from the DFA.

“Immigration officers are directed to exercise extra vigilance in clearing the departure of Filipino travelers bound for Dubai, particularly those who are departing as tourists, and make sure that they are not going to other foreign destinations in order to work,” Morente said in his directive to BI Port Operations Division chief Grifton Medina.

“Be sure that none of these illegal OFWs disguised as tourists are able to leave the country. They should be stopped and turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking if encountered, for their protection,” Morente added.

Under the new scheme, the BI said that illegally hired OFWs are first sent to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur as tourists before they proceed to Baghdad.

“This is a form of human trafficking through debt-bondage,” said Morente.

When they get to their worksites, many are enslaved, given meager salaries and made to work more than they (are) supposed to in order to pay off their alleged debt,” he warned. - Robertzon Ramirez and Rudy Santos