Immigrations, POEA sign agreement on information sharing on OFWs

Manila:Two agencies concerned with human trafficking have signed an agreement to boost cooperation and information sharing to provide for faster processing and prevent more Filipinos from being victimised by illegal recruiters.

Labour and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said that starting this August, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Bureau of Immigration will have a common database containing foreigner employers on the immigrations watchlists, as well as all Filipinos departing and arriving from work abroad.

Dimapilis-Baldoz said this was made possible after the two agencies signed an agreement on the development of the shared database.

“The agreement shows our efforts to strengthen coordination and linkage among concerned government agencies. It also reflects our convergent action to ensure the protection of our OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) against unscrupulous individuals engaged in illegal and predatory activities, including fixers, scammers, and traffickers,” Dimapilis-Baldoz said.

“Aside from protecting our OFWs, we want to provide them a hassle-free, yet systematic, deployment process. We will no allow our overseas workers to undergo the tedious multi-layered process that they were made to undergo through like before. This time, there will be only one queue for immigration and POEA. This is in consonance with the directive of President Benigno S. Aquino III to improve government systems and processes and making them more accessible and cost-effective,” she added.

According to Dimapilis-Baldoz the databases will contain the names of foreign employers included in the POEA watchlist; OFWs included in the POEA watchlist; as well as all departing and arriving OFWs.

Earlier, both agencies have been tasked to develop and execute strategies and schemes against the modus operandi of illegal recruiters, such as escort services and tampering and sale of spurious passports and travel documents.

Under the agreement, the POEA shall provide and extend legal assistance to victims of illegal recruitment and trafficking in persons referred by the immigrations.

On its part, the immigrations shall strictly implement the validation of travel exit documents; endorse suspected illegal recruitment cases to POEA for investigation; intensify intelligence efforts in checking legitimate departing OFWs and/or those tourists profiled as workers; and enforce watchlistorders against illegal recruiters and human traffickers.