Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) warns people to be on guard against illegal recruiters using fake Overseas Employment Certificates (OEC).
In a press release on Tuesday (October 12) Siegfred Mison, commissioner of the BI, said these recruiters would give Filipino workers fraudulent OECs to present during immigration inspection.
“Illegal recruiters have developed a new modus of giving fake OECs to workers,” he said. “Oftentimes victims end up deployed in a different country, with salaries below the minimum standard, and they end up getting exploited.”
This year, 45 victims were turned over to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) alone.
The POEA will revoke the licenses of agencies who give OFWs with fake work documents. The BI is mandated to protect Filipinos leaving the country from illegal recruitment and human trafficking.
