Around 15 local government units (LGUs) are put on hold from deploying Filipinos aspiring to work as seasonal farm workers in South Korea, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Tuesday.

In an ambush interview, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said the department stops processing applicants from areas where illegal broker arrangements have been detected. 

Cacdac declined to name the LGUs, saying that they are still coordinating with local authorities.  

He also added that criminal cases have been filed against four brokers, each accused of having more than three victims. 

“Under our law, if there are more than three victims, the penalty is life imprisonment,” Cacdac said. “We are working closely with the prosecutorial arm of the government to ensure these brokers are convicted.”

The Seasonal Worker Program allows Filipinos to work in South Korea’s agricultural sector for approximately five months. It is facilitated through the partnerships between LGUs in the Philippines and South Korea, where workers can earn an average salary of P60,000 per month.

Yet, for 44-year-old Helen Relojero from Tarlac, a four-time returning seasonal farm worker in South Korea under the same employer, earnings can go even higher, reaching up to P100,000 a month. 

“Our salary is around P67,000 to P70,000, not including overtime. With overtime, it can reach P80,000 to P100,000,” Relojero said. 

Relojero, a former teacher, works as a strawberry picker in Gochang-gun, where she stays with two other workers in a container van accommodation. She said their five-month contract may be extended for one to three months, depending on the employer’s discretion. 

“You’re not a man, you’re not a man there, the work is equal. You’ll lift soil, carry heavy strawberries, and harvest,” Relojero described. 

Relojero said the application process begins at the LGU’s Public Employment Service Office, where applicants’ names are selected and forwarded to prospective employers.

Based on her experience, hiring usually takes place around October, as the strawberry season runs from November to May. 

Around 47 workers are set to be deployed to Gochang this November, bringing the total number of Filipinos sent as seasonal farm workers to 11,778.