The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has ordered the closure of a recruitment agency in Makati City for recruiting overseas job seekers despite the cancellation of its license.
Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople said on Saturday that the department’s Anti-illegal Recruitment Branch (AIRB) locked up the offices of Azizzah International Manpower Services, Inc, an agency whose license and accreditation were cancelled last June 15 for various infractions and complaints from job seekers.
“The DMW has zero tolerance for recruitment agencies operating outside the law, existing even when its licenses have been cancelled by the POEA,” Ople said.
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She said agencies such as Azizzah were closed due to grave violations that involve the exploitation of workers.
“Zombie agencies are not allowed to operate under my watch,” she said.
Ople laments that despite the cancellation order, Azizzah continued to issue job orders for household service and skilled workers to Saudi Arabia.
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The bogus agency was also able to charge placement fees equivalent to one-month’s salary from applicants.
The DMW called on victims of illegal recruitment to connect directly with its Anti-illegal Recruitment Branch through their Facebook (FB) account at https://www.facebook.com/airbranch or report such crimes via the DMWs FB page at https://www.facebook.com/dmw.gov.ph.
The recruitment agency now faces charges for violation of Section 6 of Republic Act No. 8042, as amended by Republic Act No. 10022, defining illegal recruitment.
