Recruiters seek ways to avert 'deployment crisis'

MANILA, Philippines - Leaders of overseas job recruitment agencies have scheduled a meeting with acting Labor Secretary Marianito Roque within the week to avert a possible “deployment crisis" following the suspension of licenses of local recruitment agencies with pending cases.

Recruitment consultant Manny Geslani said on Tuesday that representatives of the Federated Association of Manpower Exporters (FAME) were among those discussing the problem with Roque, who concurrently serves as administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

“They (FAME leaders) will make a courtesy call on Secretary Roque this week (to congratulate him) for his new position and they will discuss the matter of the renewal of licenses of the recruitment agencies with pending cases," Geslani told GMANews.TV on Tuesday.

FAME is an umbrella association composed of 12 country organizations with a membership of about 700 licensed agencies sending Filipino workers overseas, according to Geslani.

He said Roque was already aware of the issue and has promised to look into the problem.

“FAME has high respects for Sec. Roque because they know him as a leader who listens to problems as head of OWWA," Geslani said.

Last week, Roque replaced former Labor Sec. Arturo Brion who was appointed to the Supreme Court.

Earlier, Geslani warned that more than 10,000 Filipino workers are barred from leaving the country for overseas jobs after the DoLE suspended the operations of many local recruitment agencies with pending cases.

The recruiters blamed the new regulation on renewal of licenses imposed by Brion, directing the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) that agencies with pending cases should not be forwarded to his office for license renewal.

"Secretary Brion returned around 50 folders to the POEA with instructions that no license should be forwarded to his office if the agency has a pending case," Geslani said.

According to him, the 50 agencies involved are responsible for the deployment of more than 10,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) a month and with the suspension of their license, they could not send workers abroad.

While the POEA permitted the processing of job orders, recruitment companies are not allowed to deploy new job orders since the licenses of the agencies are deemed to have expired and operations like recruitment, placement and processing of new applicants are prohibited.

The recruitment agencies warned that non-renewal of their licenses could result in crisis in deployment if not addressed immediately.

The POEA previously allowed renewal of license upon full compliance to all requirements imposed on recruitment agencies.

Agencies with four or less cases pending are recommended for approval as provided under the POEA guidelines.

But early this year, Brion ordered the centralization of decision making process in the labor department and reverted to his office the signing of new or renewal of licenses.

The local agencies are appealing to Roque to set aside the policy set by Brion which, they said, was totally against the rules of POEA and was an arbitrary act without any legal or moral basis against the recruitment industry. - Fidel Jimenez, GMANews.TV

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