‘Screen recruiters carefully’

Acting Mayor Labella wants labor recruiters applying for permits scrutinized to protect citizens

CEBU City Acting Mayor Edgardo Labella ordered the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) to scrutinize business permit applications or renewal of recruitment agencies.

He received reports and complaints from applicants for overseas employment that they lost their hard-earned money to fake labor recruiters.

“I believe that one way we can help curb this problem is for us to be more meticulous in the processing of applications for business permits by labor workers...This is one way of protecting our constituents,” he said.

Based on the records from the Management Information and Computer System, there are currently 245 active recruitment agencies, job placement agencies and manpower agencies in the city.

All of them are active as they were able to renew their business permits for this year.

Accreditation

Labella said the CTO should make sure that the applicants for business permits or those who want to renew their permits have been duly-accredited by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration among others.

In an interview yesterday, Labella told reporters that one resident of the city, who lives in the mountain barangay of Budlaan, came to him to seek for help after being victimized by unscrupulous illegal recruiters.

“We really have to look into this because the city has also become a center, a haven of all these recruitment, considering the strategic location between Mindanao and neighboring islands,” he added. Labella said this is timely since the City Government’s processing of business permit applications or renewal will already start by Jan. 4 next year.

The acting mayor already wrote Acting City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas about his directive.

Order

Sought for comment about this, Cuevas said they will comply with Labella’s order.

“Pero mas maayo gyud unta to kung naa tay lista sa katong mga agencies nga naa nay record of complaints so it will be easier for us (But it would have been better if we have a list),” she said.

Because of this, Cuevas said they will be writing the Department of Labor and Employment and the Overseas Workers Welfare Association to get a list of these recruitment agencies.

The application and renewal of business permits in the city will start on Jan. 4 and will end by Jan. 27.