Metro Manila, Philippines— Filipino workers bound for Qatar should not pay placement fees, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said.
In a press briefing, Cacdac said the Philippine and Qatari governments have agreed to waive such fees even as Qatar has indicated the need to hire more foreign workers.
“Hindi pwedeng maningil o managa ang recruitment agency for their services lalo na roon sa job applicants. Kasi bawal from both sides—the applicant side or Qatari side—kung ang purpose ay para bayaran ang agency dahil sa kanyang serbisyo o kita, yan ay bawal kasi ang dapat ay employer-based principle which means dapat sinisingil yan sa employer na makikinabang sa serbisyo ng OFW,” said Cacdac.
[Translation: Recruitment agencies cannot charge or collect fees for their services, especially from job applicants. This is prohibited from both sides—whether from the applicant’s side or the Qatari side—if the purpose is to pay the agency for its services or profit. That is forbidden because the principle is employer-based, meaning the fees should be charged to the employer who will benefit from the services of the OFW.]
Cacdac warned that the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) will take action against recruiters that collect placement fees from workers bound for Qatar.
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Arnell Ignacio also urged aspiring workers to avoid agencies that promise to expedite paperwork through placement fees disguised as “processing fees.”
“Most of the time itong nangongolekta na mas mapapabilis, so huwag magpapaniwala diyan sa mga nakakausap nila. Walang kinukulektang fees lalo naman sa OWWA. Minsan kasi merong nag-scam para mapadali ang repatriation ay may hihingin kaming pera—never kami manghingi ng pera,” said Ignacio.
[Translate: Most of the time, those who collect fees claim it will speed up the process, so don’t believe those you talk to. We do not collect fees, especially at OWWA. Sometimes there are scams where people ask for money to expedite repatriation, but we never ask for money.]
The DMW also issued Advisory No. 24 last week informing the public that Qatar law “prohibits licensed recruitment agencies from collecting payment for recruitment fees, expenses, or other associated costs from workers coming from abroad.”
“The Department of Migrant Workers informs the public that the State of Qatar is considered a non-placement fee labor-receiving country,” Cacdac stated in the advisory issued on Aug. 31.
According to data released by the Qatar Visa Center in 2023, around 250,000 Filipinos are working in the Arab country.
