52 victims of illegal recruitment repatriated from Laos

MANILA: The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has renewed calls on Filipinos targeting to work overseas to verify first with the department any job offer to avoid being victimized by scammers and human traffickers. DMW Underscretary Bernand Olalia made the call in a Bagong Pilipinas interview on Wednesday after 52 Filipinos who were victims of illegal recruitment and human trafficking were repatriated from Laos. Olalia said 75 victims of human trafficking in Laos who sought help from the Philippine government, and 52 of them have been brought back to the country. He said they were promised jobs as customer relations officers in Laos, only to be exploited after getting there. 'Napakaimportante doon na bago po tumanggap ng trabaho iyong mga kababayan natin sana, alamin nila sa Department of Migrant Workers 'no. I-verify nila iyong pupuntahan nilang employer, kung iyon po ay tunay at nang sa ganoon ay mabigay po namin iyong tamang impormasyon (It is very important that before accepting a job, they should c heck with the Department of Migrant Workers first, and verify the employer they are going to work for, if that is legitimate, so we can give you the correct information),' Olalia said. He said the modus operandi is still the same as in the past, thus the need to be more vigilant against illegal recruiters. Upon their arrival, the victims were given immediate assistance including psychosocial services, financial, and legal aid, he said. Source: Philippines News Agency