Dubai mission rescues 9 Filipinas from job fraudsters

The case of nine overseas Filipino workers who travelled to Dubai on the promise of a job via an alleged illegal recruiters, has been passed on to the proper authorities in both the UAE and the Philippines.

Speaking to Khaleej Times on Sunday, Renato Duenas Jr, Deputy Consul General for the Philippines in Dubai, said the issue was "in-hand" at both the embassy and consulate here.

"We have referred the matter to the proper authorities in the UAE and in the Philippines so it is being dealt with now. As the case is under investigation I cannot comment as to where the women are currently residing as it could affect the investigation."

Urging Filipino workers to go through the proper channels to secure jobs abroad, he said cases like this could be avoided.

According to a popular online news site in the Philippines, the nine women had been offered jobs in Dubai via social media. After landing in the UAE they were allegedly informed by the job agency that there were no job openings in Dubai, but positions were available in Iraq.

According to the report, the Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Elmer Cato said the victims entered Iraq illegally because they did not have visas. And on August 24, it was also reported that the women were at the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad, with embassy personnel working to get them home.

When Khaleej Times asked Duenas Jr if the women were still in Iraq, he said he could not comment.

"What I can say is this. We have the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) agency in the Philippines. It is the dedicated authority that provides permits for Filipinos wishing to work abroad. The agency works to make sure all papers and documents are legitimate.

"Workers are screened by administration to ensure that when they travel it is approved by Philippine Government, but some people chose not to go through that process. Instead they go through third party agencies. Mostly, these are the Filipinos that end up in situations like this, travelling overseas for jobs that don't exist but that were promised prior to travel. We advise anybody in the Philippines to go through the correct channels when looking to work overseas."