Estrada urges DMW to cancel license of slain OFW’s recruitment agency

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada aired his concern over alleged “dummy” Filipino owners of placement agencies recruiting landbased overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Estrada also called out officials of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on the matter, and urged the department to cancel the recruitment license of the local recruitment agency of slain OFW Jullebee Ranara.

During Wednesday’s Senate hearing on Ranara’s case, Estrada said his office received information on alleged foreign ownership of placement agencies, which is prohibited in the licensing and regulation rules of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Labor Code of the Philippines.

“It might be tedious for this committee to summon all the incorporators or the board of directors of the recruitment agencies. Let’s just request the DMW to scrutinize the recruitment agencies, whether the proprietors of these recruitment agencies have the financial capability to run its operations,” Estrada said.

The senator it’s common knowledge in the industry that some Filipinos are posing as “dummy” incorporators of some recruitment or placement agencies deploying OFWs.

The senator expressed concern that some of these foreign-owned recruitment agencies are responsible for the deployment of distressed OFWs as in the case of Ranara, who was the subject of his privilege speech last January 24.

Local government units across the country stand to benefit from the multi-million dollar grant from the government of India (GOI), according to Abalos.

He extended his gratitude to the GOI for the funding window which “is a first of its kind” and a much-needed intervention for the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and more so for LGUs which are now expected to take bolder steps to realize full devolution in view of the Supreme Court ruling in 2018.

“On behalf of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and the Filipino people, we would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the GOI for the financial grant for the implementation of quick impact projects that will immensely benefit local communities in the Philippines,” Abalos said. Joel E. Zurbano