Filipinos warned of illegal recruiters on social media

  DUBAI – Filipino jobseekers should be wary of jobs offered through social media networks as these could be traps laid by illegal recruiters, the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai and the Northern Emirates warned on Monday (September 19). The Philippine mission urged all Filipinos including their family members in the Philippines to be cautious “about illegal recruitment activities done through Facebook, which lure workers from the Philippines who are then deployed as household staff workers (HSW).” In these cases, “workers are illegally recruited and deployed and many of them later run away from their employers for a number of reasons, including being overworked and ill prepared for work”, according to the consulate advisory. Speaking to ExpatMedia.Net, Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes revealed that there have been many cases of illegal recruitment reported to the consulate. He did not elaborate on specific cases. Most of those illegally recruited arrive in the UAE to work as housemaids. There is currently a freeze in processing work permits for Filipino housemaids in the UAE, but Cortes said the recruits “come to Dubai on a visit or tourist visa and when they get here, they go straight to the houses and begin working as HSWs”. Cortes said the consulate is dealing with these cases by issuing a “reprimand” to persuade illegal recruiters to stop their activities. He admitted that some individuals who illegally recruit people exploit a loophole “since under the UAE law it is legal to hire a visit visa or tourist visa holder and then transform to a working visa.” He urged anyone with information regarding online recruiters and their cohorts to contact the Philippine Consulate or email the Philippine Overseas Labor Office on pcgdxb@gmail.com.JTNDc2NyaXB0JTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyJTJGJTJGcGFnZWFkMi5nb29nbGVzeW5kaWNhdGlvbi5jb20lMkZwYWdlYWQlMkZqcyUyRmFkc2J5Z29vZ2xlLmpzJTIyJTIwYXN5bmMlM0QlMjIlMjIlM0UlM0MlMkZzY3JpcHQlM0UlMEElMjAlM0MlMjEtLSUyMGluLWFydGljbGUlMjBhZCUyMC0tJTNFJTBBJTIwJTNDaW5zJTIwY2xhc3MlM0QlMjJhZHNieWdvb2dsZSUyMiUyMHN0eWxlJTNEJTIyZGlzcGxheSUzQSUyMGJsb2NrJTNCJTIyJTIwZGF0YS1hZC1jbGllbnQlM0QlMjJjYS1wdWItNTAwNjI0MTU4MzU4MTg0OSUyMiUyMGRhdGEtYWQtc2xvdCUzRCUyMjg1MjYwOTM2MTElMjIlMjBkYXRhLWFkLWZvcm1hdCUzRCUyMmF1dG8lMjIlM0UlM0MlMkZpbnMlM0UlMEElM0NzY3JpcHQlM0UlMkYlMkYlMjAlM0MlMjElNUJDREFUQSU1QiUwQSUyOGFkc2J5Z29vZ2xlJTIwJTNEJTIwd2luZG93LmFkc2J5Z29vZ2xlJTIwJTdDJTdDJTIwJTVCJTVEJTI5LnB1c2glMjglN0IlN0QlMjklM0IlMEElMkYlMkYlMjAlNUQlNUQlM0UlM0MlMkZzY3JpcHQlM0UlMEE=