THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) shut down the operations of a travel agency in Malolos City, Bulacan, for illegally recruiting Filipino workers for bogus jobs in Europe in exchange for large amounts of fees.
Undersecretary Bernard P. Olalia, head of the DMW’s Licensing and Adjudication Services cluster, led the closure operations along with the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau (MWPB) in coordination with the Malolos City police. High Dreamer Travel and Tours Services office at No. 0106 Paseo del Congreso, Catmon, Malolos, Bulacan, was padlocked just before noon today, June 14, 2024.
“Once again, the Filipino Community in Poland proved to be a valuable ally in stopping these illegal activities. We thank them for their vigilance in reporting the illegal activities of High Dreamer to our Migrant Workers Office in Prague (MWO-Prague).” DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said.
MWO-Prague, which exercises jurisdiction over Poland, conducted an investigation and discovered that High Dreamer was offering overseas jobs to unsuspecting Filipinos through Facebook. High Dreamer has no valid license to offer jobs overseas and is not a registered recruitment agency with the DMW.
Initial investigation revealed that the agency offers jobs such as production workers, agricultural workers, cleaners, restaurant workers, construction workers, and cleaners in various European countries, particularly Croatia, with monthly salaries between P70,000 and P80,000.
It was learned that High Dreamer collected a processing fee of P100,000 and a placement fee of P300,000 from each applicant. The payment is non-refundable and can be settled in three installments.
Officers and personnel of High Dreamer will face serious charges of illegal recruitment, be included in the DMW’s “List of Persons and Establishments with Derogatory Record,” and be banned from participating in the government’s overseas recruitment program.
The closure of the travel agency is the 10th closure operation since January 2024 conducted by the DMW to crack down on illegal recruiters preying on OFWs and applicants who wish to work abroad.
The DMW is urging other applicants who fell victim to High Dreamer’s illegal activities to contact the MWPB for the filing of cases against the travel agency. MWPB may be contacted through their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/dmwairtip and through their email at mwpb@dmw.gov.ph.
This is the 10th closure operation conducted by the DMW-MWPB this year against unlicensed and unregistered agencies and companies offering overseas jobs to prospective job seekers.
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