 |
| USec Bernard Olalia led the closure of Polaris' Manila offices |
An unlicensed company that was charging up to Php260,000 for supposed jobs in four overseas destinations was shut down by the Department of Migrant Workers on Monday, May 11 on charges of illegal recruitment.
Various posts on DMW social media sites named the
company as Polaris Manpower and Documentation Services, which held office at
1653 Tecson Street, Sta Cruz, Manila.
The DMW said the operations manager of Polaris named
as Yolanda M. Naag used to hold secret orientation seminars for job applicants,
who were told that the company was a “partner agency” of the department.
 |
| . |
Applicants were offered jobs as hotel worker,
production operator, production packer or cleaner in Taiwan, Canada, Finland
and New Zealand, and promised salaries ranging from Php170,000 to Php210,000.
But to kickstart the application process each
jobseeker was asked to pay Php260,000 as processing fee, which supposedly
included payments for “documentation and visa expenses”
It was not clear whether there were jobseekers who were convinced to apply and pay the exorbitant fee.
 |
| Basahin ang detalye! |
Undersecretary Bernard P. Olalia, who led the raid
on Polaris, warned applicants were being led to possible financial exploitation and misuse
of government hiring programs.
Olalia also noted that the group’s referral-based
recruitment activities could further expand the number of potential victims.
He emphasized that legitimate
government-to-government hiring programs do not require the participation of
private agencies or third parties in the processing and deployment of overseas
Filipino workers (OFWs).
Separately, the DMW said that the most that a
licensed agency could charge as placement fee for a Filipino worker posted
abroad is the equivalent of a month’s salary promised the applicant.
However in many places such as New Zealand and
Canada no placement fee should be charged the jobseekers.
The DMW said the people behind the operation of
Polaris will be charged with illegal recruitment. They could also be included
in the List of Persons and Entities with Derogatory Record.
Large-scale illegal recruitment carries a maximum
penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of up to a million pesos.
Anyone who fell victim to Polaris' spurious job offer is encouraged to
report to the nearest DMW office or send an email to airtipinfo@dmw.gov.ph to avail of free
legal aid.
.jpeg)
