Palace revives EO vs illegal recruitment, human trafficking

Malacañang has revived the defunct Presidential Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment (PTFAIR) to strengthen the government's campaign against illegal recruitment and human trafficking. In signing Executive Order 41 on April 29, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III designated Vice President Jejomar Binay — who is also the concurrent Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers' Concerns — to head the PTFAIR. Aquino said illegal recruitment in the Philippines poses "a continuing threat to Filipino workers, their financial resources and properties." The President said it is the government's obligation to protect Filipino workers and prevent them from becoming victims of unscrupulous recruiters. "To effectively combat illegal recruitment, it is critical for concerned government agencies at the national and local levels to cooperate, collaborate, and coordinate with each other more effectively and in partnership with nongovernmental organizations and other concerned private entities," Aquino said. Strategies against illegal recruiters Under EO 41, PTFAIR is given fresh mandate to develop strategies and schemes against the modus operandi of illegal recruiters, such as setting up “escort" services within international airports and other ports of departure. PTFAIR was also tasked to execute strategies against syndicates responsible for tampering with or selling spurious passports and travel documents. EO 41 allows PTFAIR to conduct surveillance and entrapment operations of persons engaged in illegal recruitment. PTFAIR may also organize anti-illegal recruitment task forces at the regional levels, in coordination with the concerned local government units and agencies. The EO also stated that the NBI and the PNP-CIDG will serve as the operational and law enforcement arms of the PTFAIR, while the Anti-Illegal Recruitment Branch of the POEA will serve as the secretariat. PTFAIR will maintain an office at the POEA while funding for its operations will be drawn from all the government agencies involved in the campaign against illegal recruitment. Part of the task force The President tapped the secretaries of Labor and Justice to be the vice chairpersons of the task force. He also named the secretaries of Foreign Affairs and Local Government as members. Also part of the task force are: