File Case Versus illegal Recruiter in Syria

By Fat Reyes 

INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines - The government filed 29 illegal recruitment cases against agencies and persons recruiting Filipinos to work in Syria despite a government ban, Vice President Jejomar Binay said in a statement Monday.

At the same time, the case has exposed links of some immigration personnel to the illegal activity.

“[As many as] 14 show-cause orders have been filed against Bureau of Immigration (BI) personnel for their alleged involvement in the illegal smuggling of Filipinos,” Binay, also the Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) concerns, added.

The statement noted a mandatory interview of all repatriated OFWs from the strife-torn nation conducted by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).

The statement said that based on the data from the interviews, only 330 of the 668 OFWs repatriated from Syria to date had verified passports issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“Only 196 departures or 59 percent of the total verified passports were recorded by BI officers,” the statement said.

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