TABUK CITY - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) here is banning recruitment agencies from offering to applicants for work abroad the 'Fly Now Pay Later (FNPL) scheme'.
The reason for this development, according to DOLE Provincial Officer, Dr. Avelina Manganip, is that the scheme had placed several Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in compromising and very crucial situation especially domestic helpers deployed in Middle East countries.
"We are greatly discouraging OFWs to apply through this scheme considering that most of those offering this plan are employers from the Middle East where a large number of maltreatment and cases of abuse are reported," Dr. Manganip said.
With this scheme, the OFWs have no choice but to concede with the Foreign Agency (FA) who handles them in case they meet problems or want to retract a contract. This is because the FA had already paid the 20% of the placement fee, she explained.
"So if in case the OFW does not like her employer, she has to bear with the conditions of the FA to look for another employer placing the OFW in a compromising situation," she related.
Manganip also disclosed that with this scheme, a scam is in the offing. She informed that FAs had formulated the 3 in 1 scheme wherein the FA will pay three OFWs from a recruitment agency for the FA to have a spare in case an OFW previously placed asks to be transferred to another employer.
This scheme she said also limits the freedom of the OFW to ask for help from either the recruitment agency and their families in case problems arise since they are considered 'paid' through this condition, thus they have to work until the FAs get back the value of their money.
Another disadvantage of the FNPL is that the FA collects from the OFW and the recruitment agency, resulting in a very small net pay during the term or contract, so the OFW could barely send any amount to her family back home, she disclosed.
Manganip appealed to the overseas applicants to seek the assistance of DOLE for proper information as she advises applicants to better apply in the province through the Provincial Recruitment Authority (PRA) or the Special Recruitment Authority (SRA) to ensure that they undergo the proper documentation process aside from the assurance that their recruiters are legal and authorized.
"Our kababayan no matter how hard life is should not sacrifice themselves and give in to this deceitful scheme just because it is faster and cheaper," she said.
"Let us not wait for something to happen to our OFWs when they are already deployed, instead the necessary precaution should already be observed while they are still processing their applications," Manganip stressed.
The government had issued directives banning Filipinos to work in Nigeria, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait and Syria. These countries she said have recorded the most number of abused OFWs and repatriation activities due to various problems like war and civil disturbances. A high percentage rate on maltreatment and physical abuse she said had also been recorded in Singapore and Malaysia. **ggd/PIA-Kalinga – Zigzag Weekly, August 19, 2007
The reason for this development, according to DOLE Provincial Officer, Dr. Avelina Manganip, is that the scheme had placed several Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in compromising and very crucial situation especially domestic helpers deployed in Middle East countries.
"We are greatly discouraging OFWs to apply through this scheme considering that most of those offering this plan are employers from the Middle East where a large number of maltreatment and cases of abuse are reported," Dr. Manganip said.
With this scheme, the OFWs have no choice but to concede with the Foreign Agency (FA) who handles them in case they meet problems or want to retract a contract. This is because the FA had already paid the 20% of the placement fee, she explained.
"So if in case the OFW does not like her employer, she has to bear with the conditions of the FA to look for another employer placing the OFW in a compromising situation," she related.
Manganip also disclosed that with this scheme, a scam is in the offing. She informed that FAs had formulated the 3 in 1 scheme wherein the FA will pay three OFWs from a recruitment agency for the FA to have a spare in case an OFW previously placed asks to be transferred to another employer.
This scheme she said also limits the freedom of the OFW to ask for help from either the recruitment agency and their families in case problems arise since they are considered 'paid' through this condition, thus they have to work until the FAs get back the value of their money.
Another disadvantage of the FNPL is that the FA collects from the OFW and the recruitment agency, resulting in a very small net pay during the term or contract, so the OFW could barely send any amount to her family back home, she disclosed.
Manganip appealed to the overseas applicants to seek the assistance of DOLE for proper information as she advises applicants to better apply in the province through the Provincial Recruitment Authority (PRA) or the Special Recruitment Authority (SRA) to ensure that they undergo the proper documentation process aside from the assurance that their recruiters are legal and authorized.
"Our kababayan no matter how hard life is should not sacrifice themselves and give in to this deceitful scheme just because it is faster and cheaper," she said.
"Let us not wait for something to happen to our OFWs when they are already deployed, instead the necessary precaution should already be observed while they are still processing their applications," Manganip stressed.
The government had issued directives banning Filipinos to work in Nigeria, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait and Syria. These countries she said have recorded the most number of abused OFWs and repatriation activities due to various problems like war and civil disturbances. A high percentage rate on maltreatment and physical abuse she said had also been recorded in Singapore and Malaysia. **ggd/PIA-Kalinga – Zigzag Weekly, August 19, 2007
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