The Visayan Forum Foundation Inc. in Negros Oriental has warned Filipinos seeking employment abroad to verify with government authorities the legitimacy of their recruitment agencies to avoid falling prey to human traffickers and other illegal activities.

Potential overseas workers must also be cautious in dealing with recruiters or recruitment agencies who offer attractive packages but whose hiring procedures do not match that of the government, Romualdo Señeris II of VF-Negros Oriental, said Thursday.

This also applies to domestic workers, he said, adding that many fall prey to illegal recruiters because they are not well informed on the tactics employed by these notorious individuals.

Prospective overseas workers but make sure to check with the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency if a recruitment agency is accredited and duly licensed, Señeris said. He recommended the POEA for being updated in its data base on accredited and licensed recruitment agencies in the country.

There are a few things to watch out for when applying for overseas employment, he added. If the recruitment agency is legitimate, hired workers will pass through a pre-departure orientation seminar of the POEA and they will be registered with the Overseas Welfare Workers Administration.

Also, a placement fee equivalent to one month salary of the position applied for is usually being required by a legitimate recruitment agency, he said.

Señeris also cautioned prospective overseas workers to ensure that they are not given a tourist visa as this is a dangerous practice that has led many OFWs to get in trouble with the law in other countries.

A classic example is the case of Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina mother of two, who was given a reprieve by the Indonesian government at the 11 th hour before her execution by firing squad early Wednesday for smuggling illegal drugs into that country.

Veloso had traveled to Malaysia on a tourist visa and from there had flown to Indonesia where she was arrested at the airport after authorities found illegal drugs stashed in a concealed compartment of her bag.

The problem is that people have "the freedom to travel as a tourist" and can move from one destination to another before ending up somewhere where they can get employment and that is very difficult for the government to monitor, Señeris said.

That is why it is imperative that applicants for overseas employment must be certain that their visas and other travel documents are in order, he added.

He commended the Philippine government for its stepped-up efforts against illegal trafficking in persons and anti-illegal recruitment over the past decade or so even though he admitted that many are still vulnerable to illegal recruitment for a host of reasons such as lack of information dissemination and the lure of immediate hiring.*JFP

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