By Vir B. Lumicao
 |
| Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre |
Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre has reiterated that
third-country deployment or the placement of Hong Kong-based OFWs for jobs in
other countries such as Turkey, Russia or Brazil, is contrary to Philippine
laws.
The top labor official made the remarks as the Turkish government
said its labor market is open to foreign workers seeking jobs as nannies and
elderly caregivers.
In response to an emailed inquiry last month, the The Turkish
Consulate in Hong Kong said: “The Republic of Turkey extended its ‘Overseas
Foreign Worker’ policy around three years ago. With this extension of the
legislation, foreign nationals can apply for nanny and elder care positions in
Turkey.”
But Labatt dela Torre said directly sending our workers there
from Hong Kong is a violation of the rules of the Philippine Overseas Labor
Administration (POEA).
“It’s illegal per POEA rules and regulations because it violates
our framework of protection (for OFWs), one of which is the pillar of
verification,” Labatt Dela Torre told the SUN on Aug 21.
“There’s no way that the job order or the existence or
nonexistence of a job or an employer can be verified kasi wala tayong
POLO sa Turkey, Russia, et cetera, et cetera. So, whether or not this
employer or this job order is genuine can only be authenticated and verified if
there’s a POLO there,” he said.
“But there’s no way of checking that, kasi hindi dumadaan sa
atin bago sila umalis. So most probably they will come into harm’s way and
it’s the government who will get the blame.”
Dela Torre said there’s also a need for the worker’s contract to
be checked and verified to ensure that its provisions are in accordance with
the minimum standards set by the POEA.
Reports from OFWs who had worked in Hong Kong and were deployed
by illegal recruiters to Russia, Turkey and other countries in Europe spoke of
lack of protection from oppressive working conditions, premature terminations,
or inexistent jobs.
The recruits were sent to those countries mostly on a tourist
visa and later applied for commercial visas, claiming to be managers or
professionals hired by companies in the destination countries.
The Consulate, and POLO in particular, has time and again warned
Filipinos working in Hong Kong against taking the bait of agencies recruiting
them for jobs in other countries without processing their papers through POEA.
Labatt dela Torre said POLO’s approach must be proactive so that
OFWs are warned well in advance about the risks of being recruited illegally.
