MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday called out recruitment agencies for disseminating false information after the agencies told jobseekers to camp outside the DFA’s consular headquarters in Aseana Business Park, Parañaque City.
The DFA office was swamped by applicants seeking Apostille services or authentication of public documents earlier this week. Reports said a significant number of applicants have been camping outside the compound for three days.
The DFA’s preliminary investigation into the incident revealed that several recruitment agencies disseminated misinformation regarding the department’s walk-in policy for Apostille services.
Applicants told the DFA that their recruitment agencies urged them to camp overnight at the DFA Aseana so that all their travel documents for authentication would be expedited.
The DFA said among those agencies are Silver Skilled Recruitment Inc., First Select International Manpower Services, Inc. and J.A.S. Empire International Promotion Corp.
“DFA considers this behavior of certain recruitment agencies highly irresponsible and malicious, not only for disregarding the DFA’s announced limits for walk-in applicants and attempting to monopolize DFA’s walk-in services to the detriment of other eligible applicants, but also for disregarding the welfare of our OFWs whom they ought to protect by putting them out in the streets in the middle of the night,” the DFA said in a statement.
The DFA reminded the public that while only a limited number of walk-in applicants can be served per day, this type of accommodation will be offered continuously.
The DFA also discouraged the public from transacting with fixers who claim to offer assistance in obtaining passport and authentication appointment slots while charging exorbitant fees.