The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is intensifying the campaign against the illegal recruitment of unscrupulous recruiters and syndicates, as two more companies were shuttered by the agency early this week.
In a news release on Thursday, the DMW shared that a language training center in Cavite was shut down for the illegal recruitment of workers to Germany.
The DMW’s Migrant Workers Protection Bureau’s (MWPB) surveillance revealed that the training center has been illegally recruiting its language students to Germany with a promised Php60,000 monthly salary. Students recruited are offered jobs as nurses or caregivers, auto mechanics, bakers, butchers, restaurant specialists, and security specialists.
Upon knowing of the suspicious recruitment, the DMW-MWPB, in coordination with the municipality of Silang, Cavite, and its local police, were able to identify and shut down the center. The office of Volant Academy for Language Excellence, Inc., located in Silang, Cavite was padlocked by authorities.
“The DMW is serious in taking down training centers that offer overseas jobs to their students. This is illegal recruitment because Volant is not licensed by the DMW,” Assistant Secretary Francis Ron de Guzman said.
Moreover, the DMW-MWPB disclosed that Volant requires its students to undergo a Dual Training Program, a process that combines vocational training with on-the-job training for a company. To be eligible for that, students need to pass the German language levels A1 and B2 training, including the training and practical job training for eight months.
“Volant will promise their trainees a full-time job in Germany, in exchange for Php 515,900 worth of processing fee, language training fee and practical job training fees. Using student visas, the applicants will be sent to Germany and will work part-time for their employers while studying at the same time,” the DMW shared in a statement.
The company admitted to having deployed almost 200 students to Germany.
Meanwhile, DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac also shut down another company for illegal recruitment on Friday.
The office was identified to be Thrifty International Travel and Tours Inc., located in Mandaluyong City. According to DMW, they have been illegally recruiting Filipino applicants for jobs in Japan and Italy.
During its closure operation, two officials from the travel agency were caught red-handed while receiving marked money from the operatives.
The travel agency is the 14th illegal recruitment firm closed by DMW in 2024.
