The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has cancelled licenses of 10 recruitment agencies for charging excessive fees to applicants. On the other hand, one agency was placed under suspension for recruiting without job orders and other recruitment violations.

The POEA has cancelled the following agencies: Tai-Fil Manpower Services Inc.; Lucky International Placement Services Inc.; 3R International Manpower Services; EMR Construction and Manpower Services; First Cosmopolitan Manpower and Promotion Services, Inc.; International Progress Inc; Pearl of Panay Worldwide Manpower Services Inc.; Roschazz UK Placement Consultancy; Worldgoal Corporation; and Sun Marino Shipping Inc.

Lucky International Placement Services, Inc. was cancelled for asking a fee of Php101,000 to an applicant who was applying for a caretaker job in Taiwan.

POEA Governing Board Resolution No. 6, issued in 2006, however, strictly prohibits Philippine recruitment agencies from collecting any placement fee from an applicant for household service worker positions, including caregivers.

Tai-Fil Manpower Services Inc. was cancelled due to collecting excessive placement fee of Php100,000 to an applicant who is applying for a food processor in Taiwan.

Section 3 of Rule V, Part 2 of the POEA Rules and Regulations prescribes a placement fee ceiling equivalent to a hired worker’s one month salary. The prevailing salary in Taiwan in 2008 was NT$17,280, which is roughly equivalent to P23,000.

Hans Cacdac, Administrator of POEA said that both agencies were ordered to give back the money they’ve collected to the complainants. He added that recruitment agencies with cancelled licenses are not allowed to engage in any activity related to recruitment of applicants for overseas jobs.

Moreover, Reajent Manpower Services was placed under preventive suspension by POEA after 40 jobseekers filed 9 recruitment violation cases against the agency.

According to the complaints, Rejeant Manpower promised them jobs in Australia either as fruit picker, fruit picker supervisor, cleaner, secretary, office staff or security guard, and required them to pay P5,000 for processing fee and an amount equivalent of their supposed monthly salary as placement fee.

The applicants also claimed that the agency collected from each of them AUD250 for cash bond, P3,500-P6,000 for medical tests, P850-P950 for trade tests, P2,600-P4,500 for local training, and AUD250 for theoretical training.

The complainants said the recruitment agency failed to deploy them despite their payments and assurances by its officers and employees. Upon verification at the POEA, the complainants discovered that Reajent Manpower Services has no valid job orders for the promised employment in Australia.

To report suspicious and illegal actions of a recruitment agency, call POEA immediately at 7221144 and 7221155. Check the status of an agency at www.poea.gov.ph