The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) issued this week a new order which temporarily suspended the processing of new directly hired overseas Filipino workers (OFW).
In a statement, Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III said he signed Administrative Order No. 155 on Tuesday to stop the processing of new direct hires after receiving reports that they have reportedly become targets of some unscrupulous personnel of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
“We are strictly implementing the ban on direct hires. No exemptions shall be issued effective today after we have gathered information on the anomalies and illegal extortion activities within the agency (POEA),” Bello said.
The report is based from the initial findings of Labor Undersecretary Dominador Say on the issue. According to Say, who also serves as POEA’s officer-in-charge, some of the suspected fixers within POEA have been extorting around P15,000 to P17,000 from each applicant.
Bello said he already ordered Say to form a team to formally investigate the matter. “This corruption has to stop. We want to be sure that our workers are protected when they leave the country. We should prevent them from being victims of anomalous schemes,” Say said.
While the probe is ongoing, Say said he will implement additional reshuffling within the ranks of the POEA.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) issued this week a new order which temporarily suspended the processing of new directly hired overseas Filipino workers (OFW).
In a statement, Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III said he signed Administrative Order No. 155 on Tuesday to stop the processing of new direct hires after receiving reports that they have reportedly become targets of some unscrupulous personnel of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
“We are strictly implementing the ban on direct hires. No exemptions shall be issued effective today after we have gathered information on the anomalies and illegal extortion activities within the agency (POEA),” Bello said.
The report is based from the initial findings of Labor Undersecretary Dominador Say on the issue. According to Say, who also serves as POEA’s officer-in-charge, some of the suspected fixers within POEA have been extorting around P15,000 to P17,000 from each applicant.
Bello said he already ordered Say to form a team to formally investigate the matter. “This corruption has to stop. We want to be sure that our workers are protected when they leave the country. We should prevent them from being victims of anomalous schemes,” Say said.
While the probe is ongoing, Say said he will implement additional reshuffling within the ranks of the POEA.