Things you must know about the POEA guideline on direct hiring

The Guideline of the Direct Hiring for Filipino Wokers known as POEA MC 04 was released last December 2007.  It took effect on January 15, 2008 affecting all foreign employers wishing to directly hire Filipino workers. The guideline requires foreign employers to post a Performance Bond equivalent to 3 months salary of the OFW and a US$5,000 Repatriation Bond.

The Arroyo administration said that the memorandum goal is to promote security and insurance for the welfare of the OFW.

Group of Migrant Workers on the other hand interpret this guideline in a different yet interesting way.  Here are the points to think about with regards to the MC 04:

• It will result to loss of jobs and employment opportunities
• It puts Filipino workers under the control of recruitment agencies and makes them vulnerable to overcharing and other malpractices of unscrupulous recruitment agencies
• It belies the fact that recruitment agencies are not there to protect OFWs but are in fact accessories to, and even promoter of, many cases of abuse
• It negates the gains of Filipino migrants in previous struggles for their rights and wellbing
• It translates to the deregulation of the Philippine labor export industry and relieves the govement of its responsibility for protection and services to their nationals abroad

The Mission for Migrant Workers (MFMW) and Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) have pointed out important issue in detail very well. Read the complete assessment on the said guideline here.

For OFWs like us, who haven’t figured out yet how to cope up with the serious blow of the peso-dollar rate and who are eyeing in jumping to other company that offers a good salary and compensation package as an option to temporary cure the 20% income depreciation due to lowering value of dollar. This issue is just another follow up blow from our beloved administration to completely knock-out us, hindering our option to take higher offer from other employer who are willing to pay more for our skill should our contract with existing employer ended.

I strongly opposed the memo circular 04!!.  Help us deliver the message to concerned government officials to review and scrap this new guideline on direct hiring.

Sign the online petition and let your friends, brothers, relatives know this movement..

Additional Reading:

• OFWs seek scrapping of POEA direct-hiring rules by gmanews.tv
• DOLE secretary’s approval now required for direct hires by inquirer.net
• POEA guidelines on direct hiring of OFWs draw flak by abs-cbnnews.com

You Know What to do Next:

Subscribe our feed and be updated on the latest articles, tips & job posts. Something to say? let’s discuss it further by Commenting on this post.