The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is taking steps to expand its reach in Southeast Asia by establishing Migrant Workers Offices (MWOs) in key ASEAN nations, in an effort to better support victims of recruitment scams.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac made the commitment during a Senate Committee on Migrant Workers hearing on Wednesday. “Kasi po wala pa tayong Migrant Workers Offices sa ASEAN pero gagamutin po namin yung problema na ‘yan this year,” Cacdac told senators, referring to the growing number of Filipinos lured into working for scam hubs in countries like Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos.
MWOs function as the operational arm of the DMW abroad, providing labor, welfare, and administrative support to OFWs. Cacdac revealed that initial talks are already underway for a new office in Bangkok, with plans to follow in other ASEAN countries where scam operations are rampant.
He noted that the department regularly receives reports of scam activities and refers them to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), which carries out on-the-ground rescue operations. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega said the planned MWOs will help expedite repatriation efforts: “They hope to repatriate faster and the MWOs might be of help once established.”
To counter online recruitment scams, DMW is also working with platforms like Facebook and TikTok. So far, 73,714 fake job posts have been taken down. But the problem persists. “However as you know, kada takedown ng isa may dalawa o tatlong posibleng umusbong kaya’t patuloy po, every day po minomonitor natin ito,” Cacdac said, acknowledging the challenge of managing the surge of fraudulent posts with only ten people handling monitoring duties.
Cacdac assured senators that returning scam victims are provided with financial assistance, while complaints against illegal recruiters are endorsed to the Department of Justice.
