A TOTAL of eight firms engaged in illegal recruitment activities were padlocked by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) in the first quarter of 2026.
"The DMW is bent on closing down more firms engaged in these illegal activities to protect workers seeking gainful, legal, and employment overseas," said the DMW in a statement.
Padlocked were the Maxilum Recruitment Agency / Cell Venus Elite Workforce Manpower and Recruitment Agency (Maxilum) in Binondo, Manila.
"Maxilum was recruiting Filipino workers for overseas employment without the necessary DMW license and without any approved job orders," said the DMW.
According to the DMW-Migrant Workers Protection Bureau (MWPB), Maxilum has been enticing applicants on social media, such as TikTok, by offering overseas jobs as factory and production workers in Japan, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia.
The department related that job applicants were offered with an estimated monthly salary of P90,000 to P100,000 under a three-year contract.
Applicants, in turn, were required to pay in full placement or processing fees, ranging from P35,000 to P72,500, via online payment channels before their documents were processed.
Despite making such payments, the applicants were not deployed nor processed for overseas employment.
The DMW said the owner of the firm, Celisti Maxilum, was already arrested in an entrapment operation on March 25, 2026, together with her Russian fiancé and their two armed body guards.
Nevertheless, the department said the victims of Maxilum are still urged to coordinate with government authorities.
"Possible victims of Maxilum are encouraged to contact MWPB for legal assistance in filing cases against the firm," said the DMW. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)