The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has shut down an illegal recruitment operation in Manila that lured aspiring overseas workers with false promises of jobs in Japan.

Authorities said that the raid on the establishment — identified as Hikari Japanese Learning Center in Leon Guinto, Malate — took place Thursday as operatives uncovered a scheme that exploited vulnerable individuals seeking employment abroad.

Investigations showed that Hikari operated under the guise of a language training center, preying on the hopes of Filipinos eager to work in Japan. The center offered language training, but its primary purpose was to illegally recruit individuals for overseas employment.

During the raid, DMW Undersecretary for Licensing and Application Services Bernard Olalia confirmed that Hikari had connections to a legitimate recruitment agency. However, he refrained from disclosing the name of the agency, citing the ongoing investigation.

“We still don’t know if it was actually used or if the name was just placed there. We still have to verify. Our disclosure might be very premature,” Olalia said.

The DMW is meticulously investigating the extent of the legitimate agency’s involvement and whether it knowingly or unknowingly played a role in Hikari’s illegal operations.

Hikari reportedly charged each applicant P40,000 for a four-month language training course. The center dangled the promise that those who successfully passed the Japan Foundation Test and the PROMETRIC Specified Skilled Workers Tests would be referred to its partner agencies for deployment to Japan. Hikari advertised jobs in various sectors, including hotels, agriculture and caregiving.

The exorbitant fee charged by Hikari is a common tactic employed by illegal recruiters. These unscrupulous individuals often exploit the desperation of those seeking better economic opportunities, charging exorbitant fees for services they never intend to deliver.

The DMW raid also uncovered five students, all aged 20 and above, living in the agency’s quarters. These students, who had traveled from far provinces, were paying P2,000 each for accommodation. The discovery of these individuals further highlighted the exploitative nature of Hikari’s operations.

Olalia assured the students that the DMW would provide them with temporary accommodation in a hotel.