Croatia is set to welcome more Filipino workers next year with the opening of 18 senior care facilities.

The facilities will require the hiring of 500 to 800 Filipino caregivers under a special program contained in a memorandum between Croatia and the Philippines.

The agreement strictly upholds the “employer-pay principle,” which mandates that employers would shoulder all recruitment and deployment costs for the caregivers.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said the caregivers’ salary could be as much as P1,000 a month or approximately P62,000.

‘We’ve received reports of some being charged between P10,000 and P20,000.’

DMW Undersecretary for Policy and International Cooperation Patricia Yvonne Caunan expressed concern, however, over the issue of illegal recruitment, particularly involving “third country recruitment.”

This refers to employers hiring workers in countries other than their home country — a practice that is illegal for Filipino workers.

Caunan said Filipino workers should not be charged a placement fee when seeking employment abroad.

“We’ve received reports of some being charged between P10,000 and P20,000,” she said.

DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac urged Filipino workers to ensure that their contracts are processed through official channels to avoid falling victim to illegal schemes.