Relaxing POEA direct hiring rules not enough

The order of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the Department of Labor and Employment on Tuesday to exempt white collar workers from the rigid screening on direct hiring by foreign employers has further muddled up the issues on the controversial recruitment scheme for Filipinos, a recruitment industry consultant said.

Emmanuel Geslani said in a statement on Wednesday called on Labor Secretary Arturo Brion to just recall or shelve Memorandum Circular No. 4 approved on Dec. 18, 2007 by the governing board of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

Geslani cited the mounting criticisms on the guidelines from Filipino professionals here and abroad and groups advocating migrants’ rights.

Last Friday, the POEA governing board exempted Italy, Canada and Hong Kong -- countries with large number of direct-hire Filipinos -- from the payment of $5,000 repatriation bond and up to $3,000 performance bond required under MC 4.

Geslani said the exemption created more confusion over the rules.

Last Monday, Brion directed labor attaches in 35 locations around the globe with high concentrations of OFWs to take stock of the ‘protective mechanisms’ for expatriates.

“All these new issuances only clutter up and confuse further our OFWs who are most affected with the direct hire rule," Geslani said.

Geslani said the POEA guidelines would marginalize Filipino workers who seek out their own employers through their own efforts via the Internet or their own relatives already deployed overseas.

The guidelines require foreign employers directly hiring Filipinos to submit applications to Philippine labor officers in their respective countries for screening and eventual approval by the Labor secretary.

Geslani said the bond requirement would turn off foreign employers or companies seeking the services of Filipinos. The bond, he said, would not protect Filipino workers but serve as barriers to the recruitment of qualified Filipinos for overseas employment. - Fidel Jimenez, GMANews.TV

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