Resolution seeks unified drive vs illegal recruitment

The Cebu Provincial Board (PB) approved a resolution authorizing Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III to set up partnerships with government agencies to combat illegal recruitment and human trafficking.

The PB  also seeks to establish a “systematic” information dissemination on all aspects of overseas employment.

Agencies covered in the agreement are the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa), the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).

Board Member Celestino Martinez III, who authored the resolution, said many Filipinos who seek employment overseas fall prey to illegal recruiters and traffickers. A POEA report said over 1.8 million Filipinos were deployed overseas from 2009 to 2013.

On the other hand, the web resource human trafficking.org states that over 10 million Filipinos currently live and work abroad.

They said many are subjected to conditions of forced labor in factories, construction sites, fishing vessels, agricultural plantations, and as domestic workers in Asia and throughout the Middle East.

Under the proposed memorandum, the parties agree to cooperate on capability building of LGU partners and local stakeholders as well as public information and worker education on overseas employment.

They will also help set up OFW help desks, conduct an illegal recruitment-free LGU campaign and manage data collection and welfare programs for OFWs and their families.

The “convergence of programs” of the agencies is a “strategy to enhance the empowerment and protection of the public and migrant workers and to optimize the limited resources of government,” the draft agreement read.