The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has issued a guidelines on the implementation of the reform package for household service workers (HSWs) on December 2006 that no placement fee would be asked from these workers.

On the report that DoLE Secretary Arturo Brion received from Labor Attache Romy Salud of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Hong Kong shows that Filipino HSWs deployed here complained about the promise of the recruiters that they can refund their placement fees after their deployment.

Secretary Brion advised HSWs jobseekers for abroad that they should be wary of either agencies or individuals who may ask them of a placement fees and promised that they can get it back after their deployment.

Brion urge jobseekers to immediately report to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) those recruiters who will demand for placement fee since exacting placement fees from HSWs has been prohibited that takes effect in December 2006.

Brion added that agencies that will be caught violating the guidelines for the deployment of HSWs will be penalized with accordance to the POEA rules and regulation.

The POEA will cancel the license of the agencies that will be found collecting placement fees from workers despite the prohibitions and they will be asked to refund the fee collected from the worker.