24 January 2012- The Philippine Embassy in Beijing and the Philippine Consulates General in Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Xiamen, Hong Kong and Macau would like to advise the public to be wary of employment offers in semi-skilled jobs in China, as these sectors remain restricted and closed to foreigners.
The Embassy and the Consulates General are warning Filipinos anew to beware of falling prey to unscrupulous parties who offer them jobs as household service workers, teachers or musicians in China as they have observed an increasing number of cases of illegal recruitment of Filipinos there.The modus operandi of these illegal recruiters include promising jobs as household service workers (HSWs) in spite of the prohibition on foreign nationals working in the domestic service sector in China and recruiting through agents in Hong Kong and Macau.
Other modus operandi of illegal recruiters include facilitating travel of the recruited individuals to China using tourist visas and via another city in the region, posing as consultancy companies that offer "training seminar" in China for professional positions, when in fact these "trainees" end up being hired out illegally as HSWs, and recruiting via internet.In the past months, the Embassy and the Consulates General have assisted and repatriated Filipino victims of illegal recruiters who were recruited for non-existing or illegal jobs, and who ended up staying in China with inappropriate documentation.
The Embassy, the Consulates General and the Office of the Police Liaison Attaché in Beijing continue to assist and repatriate Filipinos who find themselves in difficult situations as a result of their illegal recruitment. They also continue to coordinate with the local Chinese authorities on the arrest, investigation and prosecution of these illegal recruiters.Activities of individuals and recruitment agencies who may be engaged in illegal recruitment must be reported immediately to relevant authorities, including the Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). END