Concerns over inadequate screening of Filipino workers recruited as overseas entertainers were raised at a Senate Labor panel hearing, where Senator Raffy Tulfo pressed authorities on what he described as a system that leaves performers vulnerable to trafficking and prostitution.
Tulfo directed his criticism at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, arguing that assessments of entertainer applicants must go beyond physical appearance. Actual singing or dancing ability, he said, should be the determining factor in certifying workers bound for performing jobs abroad.
“Dapat tiyakin ng TESDA na tunay na may kakayahan sa pagkanta o pagsayaw ang mga aplikante, at hindi lamang nakabatay sa pisikal na anyo nito,” the senator said.
The senator warned that a significant number of OFWs who leave believing they are headed for legitimate performance work end up employed in nightclubs, where they become susceptible to trafficking or forced into prostitution.
Department of Migrant Workers Undersecretary Bernard Olalia acknowledged gaps in the current process, conceding that evaluation procedures are not as rigorous as they should be. He also clarified that assessing the performance skills of entertainer applicants falls outside his agency’s mandate.
Tulfo separately took aim at social media recruitment postings that advertise entertainer positions — particularly in Japan — using language that emphasizes physical attributes, describing applicants sought as “attractive, beautiful, sexy.” He called for those posts to be taken down.
The DMW said it has been working with Meta and TikTok to remove recruitment content that violates regulations on overseas job advertising.
