New recruitment rules bolster OFWs’ protection
MIGRANT Workers Secretary Susan Ople on Friday announced the release of new rules and regulations on the recruitment and employment of land-based overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), with significant provisions intended to protect their rights and promote their welfare.
Ople said the new rules also provide a list of 20 “cardinal sins” that may lead to the cancellation of a recruitment agency’s license. The list of serious offenses was drawn up in consultation with various stakeholders, she said.
Included in the list are acts of graft and corruption including attempts to bribe DMW officials and personnel as well as the recruitment and deployment of minors and underaged workers.
“Dahil mas simple ang rules, mas malinaw din ang dapat gawin at sundin ng bawat licensed recruitment agency. Hindi na kailangang humanap ng padrino sa loob o labas ng department. Iwasan lang yung 20 cardinal sins at ayusin ang pakikitungo sa ating mga manggagawa at sa kanilang mga employers,” Ople said.
Ople said the simplification of the rules was one of the directives issued by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last year.
“Ito ay alinsunod sa atas ng ating mahal na Pangulo, at patunay ng kanyang malasakit at kalinga sa ating mga OFW,” she explained.
Ople added that the new rules issued by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) are the product of extensive consultations with all stakeholders under the principle of social dialogue and tripartism. The result is a set of balanced and simplified rules adhering to day-to-day operations and concerns of OFWs, she said.
