The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) advises the public to be wary of recruitment agencies with cancelled or suspended licenses that are still actively recruiting for overseas jobs.

The POEA, as of September 14, 2009, has cancelled the licenses of 454 recruitment agencies since the start of its operations and placed 44 others under preventive suspension. For 2008 and the first eight months of 2009 alone, the POEA cancelled 76 licenses and suspended or fined 57 agencies as a result of recruitment violations.

Please click HERE to verify status of recruitment agencies.

After the release of the machine readable passport, here comes another version which is said to be better and more advanced- the Philippine Electronic Passport (or Philippine e-passport). The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) started issuing it for passport renewals via the online appointment system on August 26. The first Filipino to ever received it is President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, given during its launching ceremony that was held in the main office of the government agency.

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and any Filipino who wish to travel abroad need to be familiar with this new kind of travel document because the manually scripted and machine readable passports will no longer be valid in time. Read more.

Baguio City Local and Overseas Job Fair!

When: September 28, 2009 – Sep 30, 2009
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Where: Baguio Convention Center
Organizer: LGU-Baguio

Camarines Local and Overseas Job Fair!

When: September 26, 2009
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Where: Vinzons Municipal Hall, Vinzons, Camarines Norte
Organizer: LGU of Vinzons, Camarines Norte

This event is open to all Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) alumni and students. For inquiries, please call Prof.Malaya Abadilla-Ygot or Ms. Myla at 714-05-93 or email to malaya.pup.placement@gmail.com.

When: September 24-25,
8- am – 5 pm
Where: PUP Gymnasium, A. Mabini (Main) Campus, Sta. Mesa, Manila
Organizer: PUP Career Development and Placement Office

A senator from Guam confirmed that the reported job opportunities for Filipino workers in Guam will still be available next year. This is despite a recent proposal from an American official that Guam should only allot 30% of their workforce for the foreign workers. Earlier news said that Guam is expected to hire 15,000 to 20,000 foreign workers in 2010 and that majority of the positions will be open for Filipinos.

Rory Respicio, a Guam Senator and Majority Leader said during a press conference held at the office of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), “We have affinity for foreign workers, especially for Filipinos.”

Respicio made this guarantee because US Representative Neil Abercrombie recently filed a bill that would require Guam to limit the number of foreign workers they can hire. Read more.