IN ONLY the first five months of 2026, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has been able to padlock 12 firms that have been accused of being engaged in illegal recruitment activities.
In a statement, the DMW reported that a total of 12 entities have been shut down after illegally recruiting and deploying overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
"The total [number of] establishments closed for alleged illegal recruitment activities is up to 12 this year," said the DMW.
The latest closure happened on late Thursday after the department shut down State 101 Travel Visa Consultancy based in Pasig City.
The firm was accused of engaging in illegal recruitment activities involving the deployment of Filipino caregivers to the United States (US).
"State 101 Travel Visa Consultancy is neither licensed nor authorized by the DMW to recruit and deploy Filipino workers overseas, and has no approved job orders for deployment to the US," said the DMW.
It said the firm supposedly referred applicants to US employers for caregiver positions using tourist visas, with promised monthly salaries in the amount of US$1,800 or around P109,800.
In turn, the applicants, who were supposedly to be deployed as trainees, were asked to pay as much as P150,000 for documentation and processing fees.
During the closure operation, the DMW actually intercepted two former OFW-applicants, who were about to submit their documents for promised caregiving jobs in the United States.
Initial investigation showed that the two applicants, along with two other complainants, had already paid substantial placement and processing fees to the consultancy firm. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
