POEA denies discrepancy in 2008 OFW deployment figures

POEA denies discrepancy in 2008 OFW deployment figures

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on Friday denied allegations that the 2008 overseas Filipino worker (OFW) deployment figures were "padded."

"That's just how we count it," POEA Administrator Jennifer Manalili told GMANews.TV in an interview on Friday.

Manalili issued the statement after recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani called their report – which indicated that OFW deployment rose by almost 30 percent in 2008 – as being "incredible, unbelievable, and questionable."

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque earlier reported that the government exceeded its deployment target by more than 300,000 new hires in 2008, an increase of almost 27.8 percent compared to the same period in 2007.

Data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) also showed that 1,376,823 Filipinos left the country to work abroad in 2008.

But Geslani said the increase claimed by POEA is "unheard of in the history of OFW deployment."

"The POEA should clarify or give the public a break-down of the total new hires, re-hires, vacationing workers, sea-based workers who are basically re-hires so that the recruitment sector can analyze the figures since the industry itself admits that there was lower deployment in 2008," he said.

The POEA chief, however, said that new hires should be included in the deployment count.


"Re-hires are counted because they are given new contracts," she said.

Geslani added that more than 30,000 to 50,000 vacationing workers arrive during the month of December, prompting recruiters to believe that the POEA is "padding the numbers with the balik-bayan and re-hires" who normally return during the holidays.

Manalili answered by saying that what the consultant is saying is just a small percentage of the overall statistics.

"Di naman ganun kalaki ang umuuwi kapag December [Those who come home in December are not that many], it will not cause a significant change in the figures," she said. - GMANews.TV

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