By Christopher Lloyd T. Caliwan
MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday ordered tighter monitoring of suspected illegal recruitment schemes targeting Filipinos seeking employment abroad following reports of a job offer in Eastern Europe that allegedly involved bypassing immigration screening.
This is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., through the guidance of Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, to curb human trafficking networks and protect vulnerable jobseekers from cross-border exploitation.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr., directed concerned police units to coordinate with government agencies to come up with the best intervention measures to protect Filipinos from dangerous job offers.
“We will not allow unscrupulous individuals or syndicates to exploit the aspirations of any of our kababayan (fellow citizens) for overseas employment. No promise of a high-paying job should come at the expense of a Filipino’s safety, dignity, or future,” Nartatez said in a statement.
The investigation followed the interception of three Filipinos aged 21, 51 and 50, who were about to leave the country through Davao International Airport after they were suspected of being recruited for military and border guard positions in Eastern Europe.
The three initially claimed they were traveling to Thailand to participate in or coach a Muay Thai tournament but later disclosed their intended employment, for which they were allegedly promised monthly salaries of PHP200,000.
They said two foreign recruiters offered to shoulder their travel expenses and arrange their European electronic visas while they were in Thailand. The group was initially instructed on Oct. 13 to use a supposed “backdoor” route through Zamboanga before the plan shifted to air travel from Davao.
They were intercepted before their scheduled departure on Oct. 17 and referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation.
Nartatez ordered police units to intensify surveillance and monitoring of suspected illegal recruiters as he stressed the need for closer coordination among law enforcement agencies to prevent more Filipinos from falling victim to deceptive recruitment schemes.
The warning came amid reports that at least three Filipinos died in the armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia. (PNA)
