Recruitment ng travel agency, ilegal

ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta - @Magtanong Kay Attorney | December 8, 2022

Dear Chief Acosta,

Mayroong travel agency na nagre-recruit ng mga nais na pumasok bilang overseas Filipino worker (OFW) sa Middle East na tulad ko. Nais ko lamang malaman kung legal ba ito sapagkat wala silang kahit anong halagang sinisingil sa akin? - Ysmael

Dear Ysmael,

Para sa iyong kaalaman, ang panuntunang naaangkop sa iyong sitwasyon ay ang Section 3, Rule I, Part II ng Revised POEA Rules and Regulations Governing the Recruitment and Employment of Landbased Overseas Filipino Workers of 2016, kung saan nakasaad na:

“SECTION 3. Who are Disqualified. — The following persons and entities are disqualified to participate or engage in the recruitment and placement of workers for overseas employment:

a. Travel agencies and sales agencies of airline companies; xxx” (Binigyang-diin)

Malinaw sa nabanggit na probisyon ng nasabing batas na walang karapatang mag-recruit ang travel agency ng mga manggagawa na ipadadala sa ibang bansa. Dahil dito, maituturing na illegal recruitment ang ginagawa ng tinutukoy mong travel agency sapagkat wala naman silang lisensya na mag-recruit. Ayon sa Republic Act No. 8042, na inamyendahan ng Republic Act No. 10022, o mas kilala bilang "Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995":

“SEC. 6. Definition. - For purposes of this Act, illegal recruitment shall mean any act of canvassing, enlisting, contracting, transporting, utilizing, hiring, or procuring workers and includes referring, contract services, promising or advertising for employment abroad, whether for profit or not, when undertaken by non-licensee or non-holder of authority contemplated under Article 13(f) of Presidential Decree No. 442, as amended, otherwise known as the Labor Code of the Philippines: Provided, That any such non-licensee or non-holder who, in any manner, offers or promises for a fee employment abroad to two or more persons shall be deemed so engaged. xxx” (Binigyang-diin)

Kahit walang kinukuhang bayad ang tinutukoy mong travel agency, labag pa rin sa batas ang ginagawa nito dahil malinaw na sinasabi ng batas na ang pag-recruit “whether for profit or not” ng hindi lisensyadong tao o kumpanya ay ilegal.

Sana ay nabigyan namin ng linaw ang iyong katanungan. Ang payong aming ibinigay ay base lamang sa mga impormasyon na iyong inilahad at maaaring magbago kung mababawasan o madaragdagan ang mga detalye ng iyong salaysay.

Maraming salamat sa iyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.