photo: DMW
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) shut down the operation of the main office and the branches of a language and culture learning center, which it said, are illegally offering overseas employment in Japan.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said the Hikari Japanese Learning Center is operating without the necessary license and authority from the government as the investigation revealed that it has been offering various jobs to Japan.
Her said the jobs include work in the sectors of hotel and restaurant service, food processing, caregiving, farming, and food and beverage manufacturing under the Technical Internship Training Program (TITP)—and later transitioning to the Specified Skilled Worker Program (SSWP).
Cacdac and Undersecretary Bernard P. Olalia led the closure operations of the agency’s office in Malate, Manila on Thursday morning, Feb. 6.
Also closed were its head office in Panabo City, Davao Del Norte, and its four branches located in Manila City, Rosario, Cavite, Davao City, and General Santos City.
“The closure of this learning center is a product of our intensified campaign to combatting illegal recruitment as among the directives of the President to further safeguard would-be OFWs from exploitative illegal recruiters who are preying on the vulnerability of the Filipino job seekers,” said Cacdac.
“We reiterate this warning to our kababayans, especially those who aspire to work abroad— please, do not deal with recruiting entities that do not have license or authorization from the DMW to recruit and deploy workers for overseas jobs,” he added.
Citing the result of the surveillance and investigation, Cacdac said the learning center would take in clients for a four-month language training for P33,710 which may be paid by installment.
It would then refers the applicant- passers of JFT/JLPT N4 and PROMETRIC Specified Skilled Worker Tests allegedly for screening of its tie-up agencies for deployment.
Cacdac said the management of the learning center will face illegal recruitment charges and all its officers will be included in the DMW’s "List of Persons and Establishments with Derogatory Record."
“They will be permanently denied participation in the government’s overseas recruitment program,” said Cacdac.
The DMW encourages the victims of the closed agency to contact the DMW through the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/dmwairtip, email at mwpb@dmw.gov.ph or through their hotline number +63 2 8721-0619 for legal assistance in filing cases against the learning center.