Manila: Authorities have warned recruitment agencies against sending underage Filipino household workers overseas, as officials said recruiters face losing their licence to operate if they are found to have violated government rules.

According to Hans Leo Cacdac, administrator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), recruitment agencies found violating government rules on the recruitment and deployment of Filipino household service workers (HSWs) face penalties such as suspension and cancelation of licence depending on the gravity and frequency of the offences.

“Deployment of underage workers and collection of placement fee from an HSW are serious offenses that carry the penalty of cancellation of licence,” Cacdac said.

Earlier, the Philippines’ labour department and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement that provides for increased protection for Filipino HSWs and other reforms. The affirmation came more than year after the Saudi government halted recruitment of HSWs. Saudi Arabia and the Philippines made the move at that time, following mounting complaints of abuses committed against HSWs in the Arab country.

Cacdac said Labour Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz has instructed him to compel recruiters to observe the HSW reform package.

The reforms include: Increasing the minimum deployable age of HSWs from 18 to 23 years, Increasing the minimum entry salary from $200 (Dh734.50) to $400 per month and prohibition on collection of placement fee from the HSW.

On the other hand, higher standards of competency will be required from HSWs. They will be asked to attend classes given by the Technical and Skills Development Agency (TESDA) and be required to pass examinations. For the recruiters, higher standards for prequalification will be demanded from the foreign placement agency among other requirements.

Cacdac said the less serious offences committed by recruiters include contract substitution or altering, falsifying or altering travel documents such as visa, passport or birth certificate of the worker, deploying workers whose employment and travel documents were not processed by the POEA, deploying workers to employers or principals not accredited by the POEA, failing to provide pre-departure orientation to the worker and withholding of salaries or remittances without justifiable reason.

“Under the POEA rules, the penalties for less serious offenses include two to six months suspension for the first offence, six months to one year suspension for the second offence; and cancellation of licence for the third offence.

“The administrator said erring foreign employers also face sanctions under POEA rules,” he said.

Tens of thousands of Filipinos are employed as HSWs, not only in Saudi Arabia, but in Middle East, Southeast Asia and Europe.

The are part of the army of Filipinos working abroad who contribute substantially to their country’s economy.