DOLE issued an advisory for Household service workers (HSWs) who want to work to Hong Kong or other counties against manpower agencies/ recruiters demanding and promising refund of placement fees upon deployment.

According to Arturo Brion, DOLE Secretary, the new policies issued by POEA in December 2006 removed from the HSWs the payment of placement fees to their recruiters. Report immediately to the POEA those agencies and individuals who may charge them placement fees. Agencies collecting placement fees from workers will be penalized with cancellation of license and refund of the fee collected from the worker.