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By Jefferson Antiporda, Reporter
RECRUITMENT firms are asking the government to
make mandatory the pre-employment orientation seminar being given to
individuals planning to work abroad to protect them against illegal
recruiters and abusive employers.
Victor Fernandez, president of the Philippine
Association Services Exporters Inc. (Pasei), said one of the best
ways to protect those planning to work in other countries is to give
them information they need to know before they decide to apply for a
job abroad.
Fernandez explained many people are being
victimized by tillegal recruiters because they are not aware of the
process mandated by the government, making them easy target of
unscrupulous recruiters.
He said the government is only conducting
mandatory pre-departure seminar for individuals who managed to get
an employment contract for abroad.
While the process is also important, it is not a
guarantee that they will not be victimized by contract switching
when they arrive there.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA)
agrees with the Pasei proposal on making mandatory the
pre-employment seminar, saying the seminar is conducted only for
those interested.
POEA Director Alejandro Padaen explained many
factors need to be considered in making the seminar compulsory to
individuals who wanted to work abroad, citing funding as a major
concern.
“We are willing to make the semainar
mandatory, but we have to consider several factors like the expenses
to cover the venue, the people who will conduct the seminar and
other expenses,” Padaen said.
Fernandez on the other hand, said the problem on
cost can easily be solved by charging persons who will undergo the
seminar, and suggested that the POEA can charge an individual P100
to P200 to cover expenses.
“P200 is nothing compared to the thousands of
pesos an individual might save from illegal recruiters. It is a
small price to pay for the protection and information an individual
may acquire after the orientation,” the PASEI head explained.
Making the seminar mandatory can also help the
POEA lessen the number of individuals applying for a job abroad
because the orientation will make them realize how difficult it is
to work outside the country, said Fernandez.
“The seminar will not inform the potential OFW
but will also separate people who are really serious working abroad
from those who just want to try it,” he added.
Based on the record of the Commission on
Filipinos Overseas headed by Chairman Dante Ang, a total of 8.2
million Filipinos are currently working in different parts of the
world.
Most Filipino workers are in the Middle East,
with 1.2 million, and in Saudi Arabia, with 850,000 workers, while
the rest are scattered in other countries.
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