The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator, Carlos Cao Jr, issued an advisory to warn overseas job applicants against illegal recruiters which victimizes applicants by claiming to be connected with some POEA officials.

The government agency discovered this new job scam when two applicants seek the help of the POEA to file a complaint against a certain Eduardo B. Monserate Jr. who is reported to b recruiting Filipino workers for Guam.

According to the sworn statements of the complainants, the swindler, Monserate offered jobs as housekeepers or laundry workers at the U.S. Naval Base in Guam. The said jobs has a monthly salary of USD1,200 to USD1,400 a month.

Monserate is claiming to be a nephew of Deputy Administrator Viveca Catalig who had given him authority to recruit workers under a job order that they negotiated together in Guam.

According to Catalig, there is no truth to this claim. She said, “I do not have a nephew or any distant relative named Eduardo Monserate Jr. I am not an Ilonggo as allegedly claimed by Monserate, and I have never been to Guam nor have I negotiated a job order for Guam.”

The Deputy Administrator said that she is from Cordillera Region and offered to show her passport to prove that she never went to Guam.

Aside from saying that he is a nephew of Catalig, the complainants also reported that Monserate also introduces himself as the bodyguard of someone called Mr. Smith who he said is working in the US Embassy and the broker of job openings for Guam.

Apparently, Monserate did not require the applicants to pay any placement fee but he made them undergo a medical examination in Bougainville Medical Clinic in

Ermita, Manila.

The applicants paid Php3,500 but did not personally go to the clinic for the medical tests. The medical fee in other clinics can be from Php1500 to Php2500.  

The POEA chief Cao also reminded applicants that the hiring of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Guam will start in 2012 and recruitment will be handled by POEA-licensed agencies.

Monserate also asked for the photocopies of the personal documents such as passports and NBI Clearance.

According to the complainants, Monserate may have been victimized thousands of applicants. This is because the scammer even asked them to spread the word about the job opportunities for Guam. They also said that he is actively looking for victims to places as far as Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City.

Monserate also claims to be working for a recruitment agency. Upon checking, the POEA Licensing Branch discovered that he used to work as a messenger for a recruitment agency which has a cancelled POEA license since 2005.

The POEA Administrator Cao is encouraging other victims of Monserate to file a complaint to the POEA Legal Assistance Division.