DMW officer-in-charge Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac leads the closure of a travel agency in Cubao, Quezon City on Monday, March 18, 2024, for allegedly engaging in illegal recruitment of Filipinos who seek jobs in Poland. (photo: DMW)
A tip-off from the Filipino community in Poland led to the closure of an alleged illegal recruitment agency based in Quezon City during an operation on Monday, March 18, of personnel from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo J. Cacdac identified the recruitment agency as the Tranvia Travel Agency, which he said, was using social media platforms, such as Facebook and WhatsApp to prey on prospective applicants, to lure Filipinos for bogus jobs in Poland.
“The agency was operating without the necessary license or authority from the DMW,” said Cacdac.
“We would like to recognize the efforts of our Filipino Community in Poland which called the attention of our Migrant Workers Office in Prague (MWO-Prague) to investigate these illegal recruitment activities. Without their help we would not have thwarted Tranvia Travel’s illegal activities,” he added.
DMW personnel led by Cacdac went to the Tranvia Travel’s office located in P. Tuazon Boulevard and effected the closure order.
Based on the investigation, Cacdac said the travel agency was promising jobs for warehousemen, factory workers, and nurses in Poland with prospective monthly salaries ranging from P80,000 to P100,000.
The agency was allegedly charging processing fees from prospective applicants of P200,000 to P350,000.
The investigation added that the processing fee can be paid with the option of a one-time payment or on a staggered basis, payable in three installments, and is non-refundable.
He said officers and personnel of Tranvia Travel Agency will face serious charges of illegal recruitment and will be included in the DMW "List of Persons and Establishments with Derogatory Record" and shall be blacklisted from participating in the government’s overseas recruitment program.
“The closure of the travel agency is the fourth closure operation conducted by the DMW to crack down on illegal recruiters preying on OFWs and applicants who wish to work abroad,” said Cacdac.
He then urged other applicants who fell victim to the illegal recruitment activities of Tranvia Travel Agency to contact the MWPB for the filing of cases against the travel agency.
The MWPB, he said, may be contacted through their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/dmwairtip and through their email at [email protected].