Kuwait will be the second Middle Eastern country after Bahrain to end the sponsorship system or locally called kafeel. Last 2009, Bahrain abolished the sponsorship system of its foreign workers which was likened to “modern-day slavery.”

As announced by the Kuwait government thru Kuwaiti Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Mohammed Al-Afasi, the scrapping of the sponsorship system for foreign workers in February 2011 will be Kuwait’s gift to foreign workers on the anniversary of Kuwait’s liberation.

The kafeel system requires Kuwaiti employers to sponsor foreign workers making them vulnerable to abuse. Foreign workers can only look for new jobs without prior approval from their sponsors after three years of service.

This is a good indication that Kuwait is serious towards respecting the rights of its expatriates including OFWs. It will give foreign workers more freedom and opportunity to look for better employment in Kuwait.

Overseas Filipino Workers welcome this new declaration of the Kuwait government and their recognition on the importance of foreign workers in their country.

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The charging of placement fees to Guam-bound workers is illegal – POEA says.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration warned anew Philippine recruitment agencies from charging placement fees from applicants bound for the US, including Guam for jobs falling under the H-2B visa category or non-agricultural temporary worker.

The policy, contained in POEA Memorandum Circular No. 10 Series of 2009 issued in September last year is in line with US Government regulations which forbids the charging of recruitment or placement fees from a worker as a condition for employment under an H-2B visa.

POEA has adopted a policy that prohibits charging of placement fees from workers applying for jobs in countries that do not allow charging of such fees since 2001. The US, including Guam, is now one such country that forbids the charging of placement fees from workers. Other countries that prohibit the collection of placement fees from workers are United Kingdom, Ireland, Israel, some parts of Canada like Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Netherlands.

Administrator Jennifer Jardin-Manalili said that administrative charges carrying a penalty of cancellation of license shall immediately be filed against recruitment agencies found violating the no-placement fee policy in these countries.

Manalili also urged jobseekers to visit the POEA website at www.poea.gov.ph or call hotlines 722-1144/7221155 or text 2917 for any developments on the Guam labor market.

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As per Memorandum Circular No. 10 Series of 2009, there should be no placement fee for workers to be deployed to the United States of America (USA) under the H-2B Visa.

The memorandum entitled No Placement Fee for Workers to be Deployed to the United States of America (USA) Under The H-2B Visa reads:

Pursuant to Section 2-C, Rule I, Part VI of the 2002 POEA Rules and Regulations Governing the Recruitment and Employment of Landbased Overseas Workers, adopting a no placement fee policy for countries where the prevailing system, either by law, policy or practice, does not allow the charging or collection of placement and recruitment fees and in view of the regulatory changes implemented by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the entry of foreign labor in the USA, specifically those falling under the H2B visa category or temporary skilled laborers, the following guidelines are hereby issued:

I. Coverage

These guidelines shall cover workers who will be entering the United States under the H-2B Visa Category. An H-2B Nonagricultural Temporary Worker is an alien entering temporarily into the USA to perform temporary services or labor without displacing qualified United States workers available to perform such services or labor and whose employment does not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of United States workers.

II. No Placement Fee Policy

Recruitment cost or placement fees shall not be charged to a worker to be deployed under an H-2B visa category. No job placement fee or other compensation under any guise whatsoever, may be collected from said worker as a condition of an offer or condition of employment.

III. Other Fees and Charges

Visa fees, transportation costs to and from the worker’s destination or jobsite within the U.S. territories and other fees and charges not otherwise considered as placement fees or recruitment costs shall continue to be governed by Rule V, Part II of the 2002 POEA Rules and Regulations on Fees, Costs and Contributions and other pertinent issuances.

IV. Sanctions

Violation of the no placement fee policy insofar as workers bound for employment in the USA on an H-2B visa is concerned, is a serious administrative offense with a penalty of cancellation of license under Section 1-A (5) of Rule IV, Part VI of the same Rules and Regulations Governing the Recruitment and Employment of Landbased Workers.

This Memorandum Circular takes effect immediately.

As released and signed by Jennifer Jardin-Manalili (Administrator)

Source:  Philippine Employment Overseas Administration (POEA)

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Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday warned Filipinos who are in search for jobs in Malaysia about a recruitment scam being perpetrated through the Internet.

Baldoz aired the warning after receiving a report from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Kuala Lumpur saying there are mails proliferating in the Internet on an alleged notice from the Immigration Department of Malaysia about its visa processing requirements.

“Such notices are a hoax and prospective workers for Malaysia should be very wary about answering these hoax emails,” Baldoz warned.

She explained that the alleged notice from the immigration authority is sent as an e-mail to a prospective applicant informing him of a pending appointment letter from a certain company, Mobil Oil Company, which allegedly requests for the processing of the applicant’s documents.

In a sample email received by a prospective applicant, labor attaché to Kuala Lumpur Hassan Gabra Jumdain said the email states that after securing all the necessary documents from the applicant, the processing of a visa or residence work permit would cost the worker a total of US$ 670.00 that the applicant should send through Western Union to an account name with a government office address in Kuala Lumpur.

“The email also indicates that the cost of pre-paid flight tickets will be shouldered by the host employer, in this case Mobil Oil Company,” Jumdain reported.

Baldoz enjoins prospective overseas Filipino workers to strictly observe precautionary measures pertaining to applications for overseas employment in Malaysia.

“They should only deal with licensed recruitment agencies posted at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration website, www.poea.gov.ph or visit the POEA for advice. They should not be lured by sweet words from fixers and agents promising overseas jobs for a fee. Better still, they should immediately report illegal recruiters to government authorities,” she said, even as she warned illegal recruiters to stop plying their nefarious trade because the law will eventually catch up with them.

For further queries on overseas employment and job placement agencies, call the POEA Hotline at Tel nos. 722-11-44 and 722-11-55.

Source:  Labor Communications Office – Official Website of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)

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OFWs should not use the backdoor exit in order to speed up their repatriation to the Philippines. What do we mean by backdoor exit? Why do some Filipinos use the backdoor exit? How is backdoor exit taking place? Why should OFWs avoid using the backdoor exit?

Backdoor exit or backdoor deportation is an illegal way of deporting OFWs. An OFW who likes to take the backdoor exit and be deported back to Philippines will change his/her Christian name to a Muslim name. Since there is a yearly repatriation amnesty to those overstaying after Umra and Hajj, OFWs will pretend to be overstayers as well.

OFWs will be lured to go to Jeddah and stay under the Khandara overpass in hopes of being deported by the local authorities together with other foreign nationals. The selling point by fixers here is that if local authorities arrest them for overstaying or not having their iqamas or national identification cards, they would be deported.

Those taking the backdoor exit are usually Filipinos who are either runaway from employers or those who have issues against laws. Runaways usually prefer the backdoor exit rather than the legal process or arrangement. It is because they fear that immigration officials will return them to their employers, their employers may take them back or their employers will force them to pay before issuing exit visas.

Fixers, who are mostly Filipinos, usually charge stranded nationals around 1,200 – 1,600 riyals or approximately P16,000 and above to process their exit from Saudi Arabia.

While many may have been deported successfully this way before, this may not be the same case now. It will now be nearly impossible to sneak out from the border of KSA since they have tightened their deportation process because of many cases of expatriates getting away after committing crimes in the kingdom.

The sad reality is that even some Filipinos don’t prefer the backdoor exit, they are left with no option but to patronize the procedure. It is because there are numerous cases that the embassy or consulate are doing nothing at all. Some embassy officials are even urging some OFWs to go through the backdoor instead.

Despite the high risk of being caught, some OFWs still prefer to use the backdoor. But Filipinos should not resort to this procedure anymore. The KSA authorities already know the legit Muslims who came from Umra or Hajj against those who are pretending only.

Please circulate this modus operandi to others. Don’t deal with fixers and follow the legal process and proper channel of getting repatriated no matter how tedious the process is because it is still the best way. Fixers won’t be able to give help in anyway anymore. Our government, embassies and consulate should do something to put an end to these fixers and their modus operandi.

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For all those wishing to work abroad particularly in the Middle East and particularly Filipinas, think several times before making your final decision to leave your family and home.

Contrary to what most Filipinos believe, leaving the country due to financial difficulties and working abroad is not always a bright opportunity at the end of a dark tunnel. While the result may have been positive for some, working abroad will not always ensure a happy ending.

It is always important to have a complete firm mindset before taking that final decision to work elsewhere abroad – a mindset of determination and patience. Another important thing to consider is to be careful not to involve yourself in anything illegal – illegal recruiters, illegal entries, illegal documents, illegal drugs (see article on drug couriers), etc.

This is very true with what is happening in UAE this year. The number of Filipino runaways is increasing and mostly are domestic helpers. Most of the Filipino runaways have been with their employers for less than three months.

The number of Filipino runaways have increased by 20% with an average of 118-125 cases per month as compared to less than 100 cases per month last year.

Some of the reasons are said to be:

• Abusive employers

• Culture shock

• Homesickness

• Medical reasons

• Delayed payment of salaries

• Sexual harassment

Even the repatriation of Filipino workers are not easy and takes some time. Employers are sometimes reluctant to cooperate. They will not make domestic helpers go home without getting a refund of their expenses.

We do hope that these runaway cases will encourage Filipinos to think carefully before working abroad. Working abroad provides a very good financial opportunity but it also presents enormous challenges which could prove to be tough to handle for some.

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Of all the Filipinos, OFWs are said to be the ones extremely vulnerable to HIV. Based on statistics, OFWs account for 32% of all our HIV and full-blown AIDS cases.

This is the reason why TUCP or Trade Union Congress of the Philippines is pushing for much more heightened awareness especially for foreign-bound Filipino workers. OFWs are said to be extremely vulnerable to HIV because once exposed to foreign cultures, thy have the tendency to put their guard down through unsafe sex practices especially sailors.

Based on DOH’s National AIDS Registry, we have a total of 3,951 HIV cases (1,254 for OFWs) as of June 2009. 815 (264 for OFWs) cases have already developed into full-blown AIDS cases and 314 have already died.

And the increase in HIV cases in Philippines is at an alarming and troublesome rate. 362 people were newly-infected in the first semester of this year, with 85 cases in May and 40 cases in June.

What is HIV?

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a lentivirus (a member of the retrovirus family) that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections.

The four major routes of transmission are unsafe sex, contaminated needles, breast milk, and transmission from an infected mother to her baby at birth (Vertical transmission).

HIV infection has basically four stages: incubation period, acute infection, latency stage and AIDS. The initial incubation period upon infection is asymptomatic and usually lasts between two and four weeks. The second stage, acute infection, which lasts an average of 28 days and can include symptoms such as fever, lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes), pharyngitis (sore throat), rash, myalgia (muscle pain), malaise, and mouth and esophageal sores. The latency stage, which occurs third, shows few or no symptoms and can last anywhere from two weeks to twenty years and beyond. AIDS, the fourth and final stage of HIV infection shows as symptoms of various opportunistic infections.

What is AIDS?

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

This condition progressively reduces the effectiveness of the immune system and leaves individuals susceptible to opportunistic infections and tumors.

The symptoms of AIDS are primarily the result of conditions that do not normally develop in individuals with healthy immune systems. Most of these conditions are infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites that are normally controlled by the elements of the immune system that HIV damages.

Opportunistic infections are common in people with AIDS. HIV affects nearly every organ system.

The sad reality is there is currently no vaccine or cure for HIV or AIDS.

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