21 January 2005 – Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Aladdin G. Villacorte has issued an urgent warning to Filipino women to strictly observe Philippine government procedures in seeking employment in South Korea, such as the employment contract verification and OFW documentation of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration or POEA, as well as that the Philippine Embassy in Seoul.  “Filipino women should also be extra wary of, if not totally avoid, applying for arranged marriages to Koreans.   Filipinos must be cautious not to fall prey to unscrupulous agents that offer Filipino women with travel to Korea through  marriage under the Korean Unification Church or through an E-6 or entertainer visa,” Ambassador Villacorte said as the Embassy took immediate action on complaints of OFWs on their working conditions in Korea.

Pursuant to instructions of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo, the Embassy in Seoul is continuously pursuing all diplomatic means to ensure that OFWs wishing to work in Korea comply with the proper requirements or have the right visas in order to be protected by Korean laws. Secretary Romulo instructed Ambassador Villacorte to relentlessly pursue representations with the appropriate Korean Authorities and explore avenues for stronger cooperation to stop all forms of illegal human trafficking to Korea.

Ambassador Villacorte has reported to the Department that some Filipino women have illegally traveled into Korea through a variety of means.  One way is through the mail-order bride enterprise while another is through marriage under the Unification Church (colloquially known as “Moonies” after the Korean founder of the said Christian sect) and more recently through the issuance of the E-6 entertainer visa for Filipino entertainers.

Ambassador Villacorte warns that in the past there were documented Filipino women who were enticed into marrying Korean men by the prospect of a better life in Korea only to end up in miserable working conditions in bars and clubs.  Just recently, operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation arrested six Korean men and five Filipino women for allegedly operating an illegal mail-order bride business.  The illegal mail-order bride peddlers used a job recruitment agency as a front for their operations in Parañaque City.

Last month, Ambassador Villacorte was in Manila to meet with Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Yu Myung-hwan.  The two Ambassadors discussed measures by which issuance of E-6 visas by the Korean Embassy in Manila could be stopped or at least limited only to qualified entertainers based on contract verification by the Philippine Embassy in Seoul.  The Philippine Embassy in Seoul has been advocating that the granting of the Korean E-6 visa be restricted to entertainers contracted to perform in five-star hotels or similar reputable establishments.

In an interview given by Ambassador Villacorte to the local Korean press, he said that, in the interest of serving OFWs, the Philippine Embassy moved from the Diplomatic Center in Seocho-Dong, Seocho-Ku to Itaewon near the Yongsan Garrison on 04 December 2004.  He explained that the relocation was intended to give Filipinos in Korea better access to the Embassy’s services and give immediate response to complaints being reported by OFWs.  END
 

/jay