Two US-based companies would no longer be allowed to participate in POEA’s overseas employment program because of violating the contract stated in the POEA Rules and Regulations Governing the Recruitment and Employment of Land-based Overseas Workers.
According to the POEA administrator, Cacdac, the POEA’s decision brings to an end the recruitment violation case filed against US Opportunities and Royal Hospitality Services, LLC. The two companies are both employment services company that were reported because they failed to give the jobs they promised to the OFWs.
The complaint against the employment companies were initiated by the POEA after they received a report from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office inWashingtonregarding the predicament of 24 OFWs who were said to be victims of human trafficking for forced labor.
To stop their illegal recruitment activities, the POEA suspended the license of ZDrive, Inc, theU.S.companies’ accredited recruitment agency in thePhilippineson 2010. Its license was eventually cancelled by the POEA on May 31, 2011.
While waiting for the decision of the case, the POEA also ordered preventive suspension to US Opportunities and Royal Hospitality Services, LLC so they would not be able to recruit additional Filipino workers for their client companies.
Based on the stories of the victims, they were made to pay Php350,000 to get a job in aFloridahotel under the US H2B visa. However, the workers were employed in a farm inMississippiwhere they had to live in trailers and in the woods where there is no water and electricity.
The owner of US Opportunities, a certain Mike Lombardi had recently pleaded guilty to charges of visa fraud, and is now in detention, awaiting judgment on August 6, 2012.
