22 September 2005 – The Department of Foreign Affairs today issued an advisory to Filipinos entering Macau as tourists but whose real purpose is to look for jobs, to check first with the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency about job opportunities in Macau and to deal only with legitimate placement agencies.

Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong SAR Corazon Belmonte-Jover reported to the Department that information gathered by the Philippine Labor Extension Office (PLEO) in Macau, headed by labor attaché Carlos Sta. Ana, and Filipino community leaders show a growing number of Filipinos arriving in Macau as tourists but whose real purpose is to look for jobs which are not easy to find.

Consul General Belmonte-Jover said that Filipino travelers are usually given a 30-day tourist visa during their initial entry into Macau.  On or before the expiration of their 30-day visa, these travelers usually would make an exit to neighboring Zhuhai in mainland China or to Hong Kong to gain another extension of 20 days, a second exit to gain another extension of 10 days and a final exit to gain a final extension (ultimo visa) of 7 days.

This process gives the jobseekers a total of 67 days to find a job. After the expiration of their fourth visa or ultimo visa, Filipinos usually receive a reminder from Macau immigration authorities that they can visit Macau again only after three or four months.  After receiving four visas, this type of tourists would usually declare that their passports have been lost and apply for new ones.  They can then exit and enter Macau again with their new passports, giving them another 67 days to find jobs.

During their stay in Macau as tourists and jobseekers, Consul General Belmonte-Jover said that the Filipinos become vulnerable to persons who solicit money in exchange of recommending them for jobs that are non-existent.   When this type of tourists run out of personal funds, they would even sell their passports and unused air tickets to overstayers and declare later that they had lost their passports and air tickets, expecting that the Consulate would provide them full assistance, including air tickets, in returning to the Philippines.  Some even went to the extent of committing theft or engaging in sex trade, the Consul General lamented.

“The Consulate wishes to advice Filipinos to exercise extreme caution on such spurious job offers in Macau,” Consul General Belmonte-Jover said.    “All Filipino nationals wishing to seek employment abroad are reminded to first consult the POEA in their vicinity in order to obtain accurate information on the application process for securing overseas employment,” she added.

The Consulate General also reported that due to numerous requests from the Filipino community in Macau for consular and assistance to national services, the Consulate started this month a twice-a-month consular mission to the territory.  The eight consular missions to Macau for 2005 were conducted on 16-17 September 2005.  Vice Consul Noel M. Novicio headed the team composed of  five Philippine Consulate personnel, OWWA representative Ricardo Domorozo Jr., and the PLEO-Macau, which provided administrative support for the team.

In the course of the two-day consular mission, the team issued a total of 50 passports and provided 30 consular-related services. The OWWA representative provided counseling/advice for OWWA-related queries and accepted application for OWWA membership as OEC issuance is already being undertaken on a daily basis by PLEO-Macau.

The consular mission to Macau is an outreach program by the Consulate General and attached agencies designed to provide consular assistance and services to the Filipino community.   It is also intended towards providing information about the various programs and services offered by the Consulate and attached agencies. END