The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) warns interested applicants for 400 nurses and 600 caregivers for Japan that the recruitment is not yet ongoing although the agreement has been signed, thus, they should be wary against illegal recruiters who may take advantage of them.

The POEA Administrator Rosalinda Baldoz said that the recruitment will begin upon the finalization of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Philippines and Japan that will define the process of selection and deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and the selection and qualification of Japanese employers.

According to the administrator, almost all issues regarding the selection and deployment of Filipino workers as well as the selection and qualification of Japanese employers have been resolved so she is confident that the MOU will be finished the soonest time.

Baldoz explained that the agreement states that the recruitment and deployment of nurses and caregivers under the proposed MOU will be implemented by POEA through its government-to-government hiring system. Thus, no recruitment and deployment shall be done by any private person or entity, which includes licensed recruitment agencies.

“We tried to negotiate for the participation of the private sector, but Japan stood firm on its position considering that this is the first kind and they want to make sure that there will be no problem in its implementation”, Baldoz added.

The administrator also said that the POEA will announce the recruitment as soon as it starts, accompanied with the warning that jobseekers should be extra careful and avoid dealing with any person or office since this job offer from Japan can only be obtain through the POEA.

She also added that the terms of the proposed MOU will be very cost-friendly for the selected workers. They don’t have to worry for the placement fee, airfare, plus they have free six months language training in Japan.