Recruitment agencies allegedly squeezed payments of as much as ₱50,000 out of overseas job seekers before they could leave the quarters where they were being kept, a practice that triggered the rescue of 206 OFW applicants across Metro Manila and Cavite on June 6, 2026.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac personally led the simultaneous sweeps. In Manila, 151 applicants were taken out of facilities run by Job Connections International Manpower Services Inc., TS Pizarro Manpower Services and Construction Incorporated, and AAV Talent Training and Management. The remaining 55 were recovered in Imus, Cavite from quarters tied to Samantha Manpower Recruitment Agency, Inc. and Prime Goal International Manpower, Inc.
Investigators determined that several of the applicants had their passports and travel papers confiscated. A number of them recounted living for periods stretching from six months to a year inside packed rooms with poor ventilation and inadequate sanitation as they waited to be sent abroad as household workers in the Middle East. Reports of curtailed movement, harassment, and the collection of unsanctioned fees also surfaced.
Speaking to reporters on June 7, 2026 in Quezon City during the 31st Migrant Workers Day, Cacdac directed that administrative and criminal complaints be lodged against the agencies and the people behind them. The department is separately weighing whether the cases amount to trafficking.
The operations brought together the Philippine National Police, the Imus local government, and DMW offices, with the secretary crediting Senate Committee on Migrant Workers chair Raffy T. Tulfo for flagging the conditions and Imus Mayor Alex “AA” Lacson Advincula for backing the operation.
Those taken from the facilities were moved into temporary shelter and given medical care, legal help, and financial assistance, along with entry into training, schooling, livelihood, and reintegration programs.
One note for accuracy: the source places the June 7 press conference “in Quezon,” which I’ve rendered as Quezon City since that’s where the DMW is based—but if it actually took place in Quezon province, that should be corrected.
