POEA Suspends Agency for Deploying Workers to Jordan

Recruitment agencies that refused to observe the deployment band issued by the Philippine Oversea Employment Administration (POEA) face the risk of license suspension such as what happened to FMJ International Manpower and Allied Services Inc.

POEA suspends the license of FMJ International for violating the POEA Rules and Regulations Governing the Recruitment and Employment of Land-based Overseas Workers. The complaint against the said agency was initiated by POEA chief, Hans Leo Cacdac Jr. based on a letter sent by Mr. Semean Dahdal, human resource manager of Aqaba Grand Stores in Amman, Jordan.

Apparently, FMJ International has been illegally sending Filipino domestic helpers to Jordan by letting the workers use visas intended for sales and restaurant workers.

The POEA has stopped processing employment contracts of newly-hired Filipino household service workers to Jordan since January 2008.

According to the letter sent by Mr. Dahdal, “FMJ International, Aqaba’s recruitment

agent in the Philippines, has abused the job orders issued to it .Upon verification through Aseza of Aqaba and the Ministry of Labor in Amman, the names on the list are all entered as housemaids in Jordan with different sponsors and different local housemaid agencies.”

The POEA chief said misrepresentation in connection with recruitment and placement of workers, and falsifying or altering travel document of an applicant worker in relation to overseas recruitment activities are acts prohibited under Section 2 , Rule I, Part VI of the POEA rules and regulation.

Because of this Cacdac said “…we find strong prima facie evidence of violations of the aforementioned provisions against respondent FMJ International Manpower and Allied Services Inc. and that exists a reasonable ground to believe that the continued recruitment and deployment of OFWs by the said respondent agency will result in further violation and exploitation of migrant workers.”

The POEA said the suspension order will remain pending investigation of the case and determination of other possible charges against FMJ International.

Two US Companies Blacklisted in POEA

Two US-based companies would no longer be allowed to participate in POEA’s overseas employment program because of violating the contract stated in the POEA Rules and Regulations Governing the Recruitment and Employment of Land-based Overseas Workers.

According to the POEA administrator, Cacdac, the POEA’s decision brings to an end the recruitment violation case filed against  US Opportunities and Royal Hospitality Services, LLC. The two companies are both employment services company that were reported because they failed to give the jobs they promised to the OFWs.  

The complaint against the employment companies were initiated by the POEA after they received a report from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Washington regarding the predicament of 24 OFWs who were said to be victims of human trafficking for forced labor.

To stop their illegal recruitment activities, the POEA suspended the license of ZDrive, Inc,  the U.S. companies’  accredited recruitment agency in the Philippines on 2010.  Its license was eventually cancelled by the POEA on May 31, 2011.

While waiting for the decision of the case, the POEA also ordered preventive suspension to US Opportunities and Royal Hospitality Services, LLC so they would not be able to recruit additional Filipino workers for their client companies.

Based on the stories of the victims, they were made to pay Php350,000 to get a job in a Florida hotel under the US H2B visa. However, the workers were employed in a farm in Mississippi where they had to live in trailers and in the woods where there is no water and electricity.

The owner of US Opportunities, a certain Mike Lombardi had recently pleaded guilty to charges of visa fraud,  and is now in detention,  awaiting judgment on August 6, 2012.

For more POEA advisories, visit www.POEA.gov.ph