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| USec Cacdac says illegal recruiters use the student visa pathway abroad to fool jobseekers |
There has been a rise in the number of recruiters enticing Filipinos who are in search of work to apply for student visas abroad instead, then charge them exorbitant fees, according to Undersecretary Hans Cacdac of the Department of Migrant Workers.
A report in Philippines-based media group Rappler
said Cacdac made the statement during a press conference on Wednesday.
Without mentioning names or figures, Cacdac said a
number of immigration consultancy agencies had been closed down in the past
because of this “modus.”
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“I think it’s safe to say that
there are increasing reports of this modus. When I say modus, I mean to say the
illegitimate forms of those arrangements,” said Cacdac.
He explained that there were
still “honest-to-goodness” offers of help for those who really intend to study overseas,
but there are also those who exploit this route for illicit purpose. These are
the ones who sell the idea of being able to work or obtain residency abroad
using the student visa pathway.
“So there’s something wrong there, ‘di
ba? Wala ka naman planong mag-aral talaga, pero
‘yan ang sinabing kaparaanan para magtrabaho, and worse, tatagain ka ng
malaking halaga,” Cacdac said.”
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(So there’s something wrong there, right? You don’t really
plan to study, but that’s the path given to you to be able to work, and worse, they
charge you an exorbitant fee).
Cacdac’s statements sparked hope among a number of
Filipinos in the Philippines and abroad who have filed complaints against a
visa consultancy firm, PinoyCare Visa Center and its affiliate, Opportunities
Abroad, for allegedly fleecing them of hundreds of thousands of pesos in “processing
fees” for student visas to Canada, which did not materialize.
They include 11 overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong who called the police on June 18 to stop a second recruitment drive by the PCVC-Opportunities Abroad officers led by former Cebu City councilor Prisca Nina Mabatid and her partner, lawyer Russ Mark Gamallo, as well as OFW driver Bryan Calagui, so they could get back their money.
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| BASAHIN ANG DETALYE |
USec Cacdac was personally designated by Secretary Susan Ople to head the investigation of the complaints in Hong Kong.
The complainants said they paid a total of about $184,000
(Php1.28 million) to the group between February 19 and 26 this year, after
Mabatid and company enticed them to apply for student visas to Canada. Most paid the full processing fee of $18,731 while two only paid the $3,000 reservation fee.
But after collecting their money, Mabatid's group sent
them a list of requirements that were far too many and difficult to comply
with, or failed to connect them to suitable schools, or told them to pay a lot
more money to complete the process.
They were also made to sign a memorandum of
agreement which prevents them from asking for a refund or from suing the company, even if they failed to secure the promised visa.
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When they demanded a refund, they were warned they
could face counter-suits because of the "agreement" which they were not warned about
before they paid the processing fee.
After the police intervened, Mabatid promised to refund
the claimants’ money a week later at the Philippine Consulate, but did not show
up.
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At the police’s instruction, the complainants reported Mabatid’s failure to abide by her promise and provided more information to pursue their claims. They also filed a complaint with the Department of Migrant Workers and the National Bureau of Investigation, through the Consulate.
Separately, Migrante International staged a protest outside
the DMW office on July 14 to press a complaint by 12 alleged victims of PCVC-Opportunities
Abroad, who each paid Php104,000 but never got close to obtaining the student
visa promised them.
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| BASAHIN DITO |
The group also filed sworn statements to the NBI, in
which they accused PCVC, OA and Mabatid of large-scale illegal recruitment
and/or syndicated estafa.
Concepcion said later more victims of the group have
stepped forward, including two who have managed to get to Canada with help from
other people.
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| PADALA NA! |
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