P50K reward up for illegal recruiters’ arrest

MANILA, Philippines - A reward of P50,000 awaits persons who can provide information that will lead to the arrest of illegal recruiters, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said yesterday.

The funds for the bounty will be provided by legitimate recruitment agencies, which came up with the initiative, DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III said.           

The DOLE will validate tips given by informants, he added.

Bello also directed the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to intensify its campaign against illegal recruiters after Wilfrido David and Jemmalyn Barlan were recently caught in a sting offering nonexistent jobs in Switzerland and asking jobseekers to shell out P6,000 for medical examination fees to a specific medical clinic in Ermita, Manila.      ?