Labor Attaché David Des Dicang of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Kaohsiung City announced on Thursday the suspension of the Taiwan brokers of two overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who reported job mismatches and deception by their recruiters and employers.
In an exclusive interview with DAILY TRIBUNE’s digital show Usapang OFW, Dicang said the brokers are barred from processing manpower sourced from the Philippines while the complaints of the two OFWs are under investigation by Taiwan’s Bureau of Labor Affairs in Kaohsiung.
Usapang OFW first reported the story last Tuesday, when its regular Taiwan-based co-host, Fr. Joy Tajonera, brought the plight of the two OFWs to the attention of Philippine authorities.
The two OFWs had taken shelter at Ugnayan Migrant Ministry in Taiwan founded by Tajonera, a Maryknoll priest.
“When I heard about these cases, I immediately asked our welfare officers to officially endorse them to the Bureau of Labor Affairs of Kaohsiung City for investigation and resolution,” Dicang said in Filipino and English.
“This is really wrong because, under their contracts, they were hired as caregivers,” the labor official said.
He said OFWs facing similar issues in Taiwan should not rush to leave their employers, but instead file a complaint with Taiwan labor authorities and MECO that would allow labor inspectors to visit their workplaces and verify the violations.
Asked by the show hosts what the Philippine government can do regarding the Philippine recruiters of the two workers, Dicang said the agencies will be investigated to determine the possible charges against them.
Under Philippine law, local recruiters are equally liable as the employers or foreign-based recruiters of OFWs who are subjected to work abuse.
Balesca and Tenorio sought help at Bahay Ugnayan the shelter run by Tajonera for distressed Filipino workers.
The two shared with Usapang OFW their experiences of being forced to work as househelp and as factory workers despite their contracts limiting their work to caregiving.
Balesca identified her Philippine-based recruitment agency as Jing International Placement and Promotion. Upon arrival in Taiwan, she said she was assigned to a factory sorting chewing tobacco and later was made to work as a farmer for 14 months.
She said she endured the mismatched jobs from 23 July 2024 until September 2025, when she was terminated without just cause.
Tenorio, recruited by Havilla International Manpower, recounted that Havilla promised her a caregiving position for an immobile elderly cancer patient.
Tenorio said she was also required to clean her employer’s son’s factory, and when she complained to her broker, she was told to lie to labor inspectors.
Dicang assured that MECO is closely coordinating with Taiwanese authorities to ensure that the cases are resolved fairly.
“The brokers cannot operate until the case is settled,” he said. “We are also checking the involvement of their local recruiters in the Philippines to determine their accountability.”
He said the contracts of the two OFWs clearly specified they were to work as caregivers — not factory workers or cleaners —emphasizing that such violations must be addressed to protect other Filipino workers in Taiwan.
