House Deputy Speaker and Las Piñas City lone district Rep. Camille Villar (Facebook)

Noting that aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are being duped left and right, House Deputy Speaker and Las Piñas City lone district Rep. Camille Villar is eying a congressional inquiry into the proliferation of scammers offering dubious and non-existent jobs abroad.

Villar filed for this purpose House Resolution (HR) No.899, where the House leader cited the need for a “full-blown investigation” to unmask those behind the illegal recruitment ring that's been victimizing young Filipinos.

“There have been countless reports of Filipinos being victimized by local placement agencies for non-existent jobs abroad and syndicates offering high-paying jobs but the jobseeker ends up in a dubious cryptocurrency group,” said Villar.

Reports said that the Bureau of Immigration (BI) had rescued six victims of a cryptocurrency ring operating abroad, with some of them being offered a monthly salary of P40,000 while others were offered $800 to $1,000. They had been told that they will leave the Philippines as tourists.

Information reaching Villar’s office revealed that some of the recruited workers who have since returned to the country were not even given their promised salaries during their stay abroad.

“Stories of Filipinos being victimized into working abroad legitimately but end up working as scammers instead underscore the need for the government to aggressively pursue policies that would better protect them from illegal recruiters and international syndicates,” she added.

The Philippine government, the House leader said, must ensure the protection of Filipinos and prevent these cases from happening as illegal recruitment “puts the lives of our fellow Filipinos at great risk".

“While it is the duty of the government to provide decent jobs for its citizens to prevent them from leaving, it is also of equal importance that the government protect its citizens seeking employment abroad from scammers and syndicates,” she pointed out.