The largest organization of licensed landbased recruitment agencies in the Philippines, the Philippine Association of Service exporters in the Philippines (PASEI), is against the implementation of a Recruitment and Manpower Deployment Contract (aka unified contract scheme ) being proposed by the Saudi National Recruitment Committee, (Sanarcom), a Saudi recruitment agency.

The said unified contract scheme would greatly affect the deployment process of overseas Filipino workers (OFWS) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and according to PASEI, would result to the exploitation of Pinoy workers.

To describe how the proposed recruitment scheme will be a disadvantage to OFWS, PASEI used the term modern day slavery. Victor E. Fernandez Jr, PASEI President said, "This unilateral imposition of the Sanarcom will result in an ‘involuntary servitude, leaving Sanarcom rich and OFWs exploited."

Fernadez added, "If the members of Congress, other government agencies and non-government organizations really care about workers’ rights, they should join the campaign against the scheme."

If approved, the unified contract scheme will take away the role of licensed recruitment agencies in the deployment of OFWs to Saudi Arabia because they will not be able to directly deal with Saudi employers. Employers from Saudi Arabia can only communicate their desire to hire OFWs through Sanarcom.

Acting as a third party, the Sanarcom will also help hired OFWs in the processing of their visa, thus Philippine agencies will not be allowed to directly process visas of hired workers.

With the unified contract, government agencies like the Undersecretary for Migrant Affairs (OUMWA), the Department of Labor (DOLE), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), would also not be able to satisfactorily protect the welfare of OFWs.

A condition in the unified contract specifies that the working relationship between and OFW and Saudi employer would be governed by a substituted and another work contract presented by the SANARCOM. This will disregard the original approved POEA contract verified by the POLO.  

Fernandez explained that if this is tolerated, it would certainly spawn the abhorrent practice of contract "substitution" to the detriment of the OFWs and subjects the worker to permitted abuses.

Fernandez asked "Will government turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the onslaught and clear "legitimization of oppression and abuses to be committed to our OCWs under the Unified Contract scheme by SANARCOM?"

The unified contract is scheduled to take effect on September 1 of this year but PASEI are doing everything it can to stop the implementation of the unified contract. The PASEI appealed to concerned government agencies and both the Senate and the Lower House to support them in their fight.

The said scheme had been proposed in 2003 and 206 but was not successfully implemented due to opposition of labor-exporting countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

According to the president of PASEI, "We strongly oppose this scheme because it is virtually devoid of any consultation with the Philippine government, industry stakeholders and most especially with the Filipino migrant workers' groups and OCWs who will be greatly disadvantaged by the proposed onerous scheme."

In the event that the unified contract scheme will push through on September 1, PASEI will continue its campaign against it by discouraging industry stakeholders to sign any "unified contract" with any Saudi recruitment agency regardless if they are members of the SANARCOM group of KSA, or any manpower agency or intermediary in the Middle East.

Fernandez is also determined discuss this issue to the ILO, IOM, UNIFEM and concerned NGOs such as Consultative Council for OFW (CCOFW) and Migrante as well as with the newly formed Alliance of Asian Associations of Overseas Employment Service Providers composed of Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam.    

Fernandez also appealed to PASEI’s member agencies: Prevent the oppression of our OFWs and to take the moral high grounds and show our genuine concern for the rights and welfare of the OFWs we deploy because the problems and concerns of our OFWs are our concerns as well. Our OFWs need not be defenseless and strong determined decisive action in unison with government and industry stakeholders is the battle cry of the day to protect our OCWs as well as other migrant workers from other labor-exporting countries."  

The PASEI president formally asked the assistance of POEA by requesting them to cancel the licenses of the Philippine recruitment agencies who would sign the contract.