RP agencies warn vs dubious job offers in Italy, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago

Government agencies have issued separate warnings on the veracity of job offers and job orders in at least three countries, in what seems to be a resurgence of illegal recruitment schemes for overseas employment. The Philippine Embassy in Venezuela, for one, recently warned Filipinos seeking jobs abroad against dubious firms offering supposed lucrative employment in nearby Trinidad and Tobago in the south Caribbean. This came after the Embassy received reports that some Filipino applicants are being asked by companies to secure a certification applicable only to Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member-countries. Applicants are also being asked to pay a certain amount prior to the processing of their employment, the Embassy further said in a release posted on the Department of Foreign Affairs website. The Embassy cited the case of a Filipino fire engineer in a Saudi Arabian company, who sent an email seeking assistance on how to acquire a CARICOM skills certification for employment. Earlier, the fire engineer received an email saying that he was accepted as Maintenance and Fire Safety Engineer in an unnamed energy firm in Trinidad and Tobago. The job offer involved a high salary, the release noted. However, the company advised the applicant to get a CARICOM Skills Certificate and pay US$765.00, for notary and legal service fees for his documents to be used in Trinidad and Tobago. When contacted by the fire engineer, the Embassy thus clarified that the CARICOM Skills Certificate is meant for the free movement of citizens of CARICOM member-countries to work in other Caribbean states, and is not for Filipinos and other foreigners. CARICOM member-countries include Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat (UK), Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. The Embassy also advised Filipino job seekers that the companies' profile, registration and the prospective employment contract should be examined carefully. These documents should all be notarized and authenticated by the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy added. Applicants should also verify the existence of the companies with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) or the Embassy further transacting with them. On seasonal jobs in Italy In a separate advisory, the POEA similarly warned applicants against recruitment agencies and individuals promising seasonal jobs in Italy. POEA administrator Jennifer Manalili said in the advisory that seasonal workers are allowed only in countries with special agreements with Italy, which does not include the Philippines, and those already working legally in the European country. The agency cited a report from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Rome saying that the new illegal recruitment scheme has already victimized a number of Filipino workers now stranded there because of lack of proper work documents. The workers have paid up to P500,000 each for non-existent jobs, the report added. Manalili said opportunities for employment as seasonal workers cover only those who are already in Italy with a valid work permit (soggiorno). She added that Italy allows direct recruitment of foreign workers only from countries that have signed bilateral agreements providing for such labor arrangement. The countries include Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovine, Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Croatia, India, Ghana, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Ukraine. The Philippines is not included. The release also noted that foreign workers illegally staying in Italy face penalties, imprisonment or deportation. Only 11,000 job orders in Taiwan The POEA further clarified there are only 11, 547 remaining job orders for Taiwan, contrary to reports from private recruitment agencies that there are 30,000 jobs awaiting Filipino workers there. In a separate release, it said more than 20,000 job orders have already been filled up for the deployment of workers, so that only over 11,000 remain based on the POEA database. The POEA added that the government hiring scheme for Taiwan-bound factory workers, called the Special Hiring Program for Taiwan (SHPT), expired in March this year. Negotiations for the renewal of the SHPT are still under way. Manalili urged applicants to verify with the POEA the job orders that have been approved for host countries of Filipino labor. Applicants may visit the POEA Web site at www.poea.gov.ph or verify through Globe SMS at POEA Txt 2917, or call POEA hotlines 722-1144 or 7221155.—JV, GMANews.TV