THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) warns illegal recruiting entities taking advantage of the Seasonal Workers Program (SWP) to Korea, including participating local government units (LGUs) that fail to adhere with the guidelines set by the Department.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac in a press briefing on Wednesday disclosed that DMW have filed 38 illegal recruitment cases, involving 11 Korean nationals who acted as brokers or intermediaries in the SWP.
Seven (7) LGUs with existing agreement with their counterparts in Korea were also barred in the processing and deployment of Filipino workers due to elements of illegal recruitment, including collection of excessive fees from the workers.
“One of our main interests is to eliminate the brokerage system. We don’t want people roaming around local communities illegally recruiting and charging fees against our job seekers specially our applicants for seasonal workers program. We want to completely eliminate brokers along these lines, to completely take over the recruitment process, and ensure better protection of our workers,” Secretary Cacdac said.
It may be recalled that the DMW on January 11, 2024 imposed a moratorium on the deployment of Filipino seasonal workers to Korea due to reported violations and welfare cases.
“There would be appropriate guidelines very soon for the DMW to completely take over the recruitment process. if the decision is to proceed with the recruitment of seasonal workers. We are very much aggressive to guarantee better protection of OFWs, as well as prevent any possible exploitation and abuses of Filipino migrant workers,” Secretary Cacdac added.
The SWP is a scheme where local governments in the Republic of Korea invite seasonal workers from overseas to legally work in farming and fishing villages for 90 days (C-4 visa) or up to 5 months (E-8 visa), allowing diligent seasonal workers to find employment every year in Korea.
As of November 5, 2024, there are 6,967 OFWs deployed by 58 participating LGUs, of which 863 of them were deployed under the marriage track.
A DMW team will also visit South Korea before the end of the year to check on the conditions of Filipino workers deployed under the SWP program.
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