By Marita Moaje
MANILA – The Department of Migrant Workers on Thursday padlocked five offices of a language and culture learning center for illegally offering overseas employment in Japan.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac led the closure of the Hikari Japanese Learning Center Corporation’s (Hikari) Manila branch located in Leon Guinto St., Malate, which was shut down simultaneously with its main office in Panabo City, Davao Del Norte, and its three other branches in Rosario, Cavite, Davao City, and General Santos City.
In a presser, Cacdac said the language center was found to be legally recruiting workers for various sectors in Japan, including hotel and restaurant services, food processing, caregiving, farming, and manufacturing.
“Itong ating pinasara po na training center ay nag-offer ng Japanese language. Isa itong requirement for all our workers bound to Japan under the track ng tinatawag natin SSW, Specified Skilled Worker Program, at saka yung TITP, Technical Internship Training Program. So, isa po yung qualification at requirement (This training center that we closed down offered Japanese language. This is a requirement for all our workers bound to Japan under the track of what we call SSW, Specified Skilled Worker Program, and then the TITP, Technical Internship Training Program. So, the qualification and requirement are one,” Cacdac said.
However, Cacdac clarified that under these programs, training costs should be covered by Japanese employers and not the applicants.
He said the language training is at the last phase of the recruitment process after the applicant has already been hired and that the employer should be the one to shoulder language training fees.
DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia clarified that language training centers are not allowed to hire, deploy, or enter into a tie-up with licensed recruitment agencies.
“Ang nangyayari po, humahanap sila ng estudyante, humahanap sila ng prospective OFWs, sasabihin nila na may kausap sila, may tie-up na recruitment agency na lisensyado, at sasabihin nila na, mag-aral kayo dito, magbayad kayo, kayo ay magte-training, at kapag kayo ay nakapagtapos na training, ire-refer namin kayo sa isang agency na siyang magte-deploy sa inyo. Bawal po yun (What happens is, they look for students, for prospective OFWs, they will say that they have a tie-up with a licensed recruitment agency, and tell them study, pay for a langage training, and when you have completed training, we will refer you to an agency that will deploy you. That’s not allowed),” he said.
Olalia said five students who were at the language center during the raid disclosed that they were asked to pay an amount of PHP40,000 for the Japanese language training, which he said is prohibited.
As a regulatory body, Cacdac said the DMW has imposed sanctions while further investigating the case.
He said that if found liable for violating DMW rules, disciplinary sanctions would be imposed which could lead to the cancellation of the language center’s license.
“Second, yun pong ginawa na pag-o-offer ng trabaho is a form of illegal recruitment. Isa pong criminal case yun. Kukuha po tayo ng testimonies ng mga workers na kung saan sila po ay hinikayat at nagbayat, and we will assist them libre, tutulungan po natin sila and we will help them also in filing a legal suit for violation of the criminal status or illegal (that act of offering a job is a form of illegal recruitment. That’s a criminal case. We will take the testimonies of the workers where they were encouraged and bribed, and we will assist them for free, we will help them also in filing a legal suit for violation of the criminal status or illegal),” Cacdac said.
Meanwhile, the DMW has urged victims of Hikari to come forward and seek assistance through the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau.
Complaints can be filed via the bureau’s Facebook page, or email at mwpb@dmw.gov.ph, or through hotline number +63 2 8721-0619. (PNA)
