Recruitment agencies are reminded by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) that they need to strictly follow the rules concerning the deployment of household service workers (HSWs). This is to ensure that all hired HSWs are properly protected.

The POEA reiterates that agencies that are found to be not complying with the recruitment policies concerning household workers will be reprimanded.

In fact, the government agency recently issued preventive suspension orders to four (4) recruitment agencies that are guilty of hiring underage HSWs, collecting placement fees and other recruitment violations.

According to POEA Chief, Hans Leo J. Cacdac, the preventive suspension orders on the agencies were based on the complaints of several female HSWs. The POEA immediately issued the suspension orders to prevent the agencies below from further thwarting the laws that are supposed to protect HSWs:

• Happy World Human Resource and Recruitment Agency Inc.,
• B&E Overseas Manpower Services Corporation, 
• AFT International Manpower Services, and
• A-M Professional Services Corporation

Cacdac informed that the policies ensuring the protection of all deployed HSWs can be found in a series of resolutions issued by the POEA Governing Board in 2006. The resolutions took effect on December 16, 2006. Some of the provisions embodied in the said resolutions include the following:

• The minimum age for hired HSWs is 23 years old,
• The minimum entry salary is USD400
• Hired HSWs are exempted from paying placement fees
• Hired HSWs must undergo TESDA NCII certification and OWWA language and orientation seminars

The POEA chief said, “The Philippine Senate’s ratification of ILO Convention No. 189 or the Decent Work for Domestic Workers Convention, which was officially accepted by the International Labor Organization, further strengthened our resolve to enforce special measures to safeguard the rights and welfare of our household workers.”

The POEA also reported that from January to September of this year, 10 agencies have lose their licenses due to charges of violating specific rules on hiring household service workers.

The agencies with cancelled licenses are identified by Cacdac as the following:

Lucky International Placement Services, Inc.,

Dreams Manpower and Recruitment Agency,

Multi System Conexions International Inc.,

Hope International Manpower Services,

Ritz Manpower Services,

Philippine Integrated Labor Assistance Corporation,

Pacific Mediterranean International Manpower Agency Inc.,

First Asian Career Solutions, Inc., 

Versatile International Services, Inc., and

M.R.C. Promotion and Management Inc.