ZAMBOANGA CITY — A Kuwaiti recently came to Zamboanga City for the recruitment of some 1,000 domestic helpers for employment in his country, a Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) official said.
Labor Employment Officer Marietta Billotindos said Mustapha Ahmed, who operates under a private agency duly licensed by the Philippines Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), tapped locals for domestic helper positions in the Middle East. Billotindos is the Officer-in-charge of the DoLE-Bongao Satellite office.
She said Ahmed proceeded to Bongao, TawiTawi then to Pagadian City from Zamboanga City to complete the slots required as initial recruitment only garnered some 38 workers willing to go to the Middle East for employment.
"The representative of the employment firm and the domestic helpers forged a $150 salary for the position or a more than
R8,000 per month pay. Mr. Ahmed brought in ready visa for the recruits provided that they secure basic documents including passports and local clearances," Billotindos disclosed.
She quoted the Kuwaiti national as saying that the management of the recruitment firm opted to tap Filipino women as they are hard-working and good English-speakers that are basic requirements for overseas employment.
However, Billotindos said in the first phase of the recruitment a minimal number of workers manifested interest to work in the Middle East as local women preferred to work in Sabah, Malaysia which is adjacent to Tawi-Tawi province.
"They identified language barrier, maltreatment and homesickness as main reasons why they instead go for a job in Malaysia than in the Middle East," she added. Sabah is only four hours away from Bongao by sea.
However she said, male workers preferred to get a job in the Middle East due to higher salary offers and bigger work opportunities as compared to Malaysia.
The recruits she said are being provided with a free skills training initiated by Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for two weeks to endure their effectiveness as overseas workers before they depart for employment abroad.
Meanwhile, the DoLE official said the Bongao office she heads provides a one-stop-shop for those who wish and qualified to work abroad.
The all-in-one office has a representative from the Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), TESDA, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID), with DoLE as the lead agency to provide all the needed services of applicants. (Gertrude Sienes)
