The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has ordered the closure of an alleged illegal recruitment agency in Ermita, Manila that offers non-existent jobs for Filipino beauticians, cleaners, and domestic helpers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Middle East.
In a report released Friday, August 12, by the Anti-Illegal Recruitment Branch (AIRB) of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), it was learned that Kharem’s International, an unregistered and unlicensed company, was padlocked last July 29.
In connection, DMW Sec. Susan “Toots” Ople also announced the arrest of six alleged illegal recruiters last August 3 and 4 in two locations in Metro Manila.
Ople learned that a certain Vegloure Ragotero, one of the six suspects and a resident of Davao City, was apprehended by her victims at the POEA Building in Mandaluyong City.
“The victims were there to file a complaint when they spotted Vegloure Ragotero, one of the alleged sub-agent recruiters, inside the building,” Ople said.
After Ragotero’s arrest, five more suspects were arrested in a follow up operation in front of a hotel in Pasay City. They were identified as Zahra Kaharudin, Alma Camasura, Maria Katherine Omambat, Connie Cosmod, and Glodie May Pandian.
Ople said the recruiters promised non-existent overseas jobs to 235 victims who sought help to authorities through a radio program and were referred to the DMW for proper disposition.
The DMW divulged that Ragotero and her colleagues targetted male applicants as cleaners for Qatar, and female applicants as cleaners and waitresses for Bahrain.
They allegedly enticed job seekers with a monthly salary of more or less P40,000 and charged them P25,000 apiece for placement fees and plane tickets from Davao to Manila
“We are serving notice to all illegal recruiters. Layunin ng DMW at ng administrasyon ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. na bigyang proteksyon ang ating mga kababayan na nagnanais magtrabaho sa ibang bansa (The DMW and administration of President Marcos Jr. seek to protect our citizens who wish to work abroad)," Ople said.
"There will be no let-up in our campaign against illegal recruiters,” she warned.
The six suspects were held under the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Anti-Transnational Crime Unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP). (Jun Marcos Tadios)