Two hundred six overseas Filipino worker (OFW) applicants were rescued from illegal and substandard accommodation facilities in Manila and Imus, Cavite during simultaneous operations led by Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac on Saturday, 6 June.

Of the total, 151 were rescued in Manila from facilities operated by Job Connections, TS Pizarro, and JPM88/AAV Talent Training and Management, while 55 were rescued in Imus from accommodations operated by Samantha Manpower and Prime Goal.

The operations stemmed from complaints that some recruitment agencies were holding OFW applicants in accommodation facilities and demanding up to P50,000 for their release.

The DMW also found that some applicants’ passports and travel documents had been withheld. Many of the rescued applicants said they had been waiting for deployment as domestic workers to the Middle East for six months to one year, while staying in overcrowded, poorly ventilated, and unsanitary facilities. They also reported restricted movement, harassment, and unauthorized collection of fees.

At a press conference in Quezon City during the 31st Migrant Workers Day, Cacdac ordered the filing of administrative and criminal charges against the agencies and individuals found responsible, while the DMW is also looking into possible trafficking violations.

The rescued applicants were provided with temporary shelter, emergency medical assistance, legal support, financial aid, and access to training, education, livelihood, and reintegration programs. The operations were carried out with the PNP, the Local Government of Imus, and DMW offices as part of the government’s intensified campaign against illegal recruitment, trafficking, scams, and other forms of OFW exploitation.

Cacdac thanked the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers’ Chairperson, Senator Raffy Tulfo, for bringing the exploitative conditions faced by OFW applicants to the Department’s attention.

The DMW chief also recognized Mayor Alex “AA” Lacson Advincula’s cooperation during the rescue operation.