No let up in fight against illegal recruiters, vows new Philippine labor attaché in Dubai

  DUBAI – The new labor attaché at the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai and Northern Emirates has vowed a continued campaign against anti-illegal recruitment in the UAE. Felicitas Bay said she will be reviewing recruitment agencies, particularly those that are currently on the watch list of the consulate in Dubai. The move is nothing new for Bay, who started her government career in 1990 in the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) where she “rose through the ranks” to become division chief of the agency’s prosecution division. There, she handled criminal cases, specifically on illegal recruitment and swindling. Bay then moved on to a post overseas as labor attaché of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Doha, and then in Seoul. In Dubai, Bay said she is going through a list of manpower agencies given by the consul general’s office. “I went through the list. I have ordered a review of the others. We have eight foreign recruitment agencies currently on the watch list,” Bay said, adding that six firms are already on the POEA watch list. Those on the watch list have expired accreditation with their licensed agency partners, she said. She did not say whether errant manpower agencies will be given sanctions, but said they can recommend to Manila authorities that these agencies “be maintained in the watch list”. Last year, the Philippine consulate in Dubai issued an advisory that warned Filipino jobseekers against taking job offers through social media networks, saying these could be traps laid by illegal recruiters. In a previous interview with ExpatMedia.Net, Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes revealed that there have been many cases of illegal recruitment reported to the consulate. 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”. Learning session for expats Meanwhile, Labor Attache Bay said that she will also be launching this month a “learning session” to guide Filipino expatriates on UAE rules. Bay said Filipino expats, particularly household service workers, will also be given an assessment of their skills to “upscale" their careers.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