Are you helping or adding to the burden?
By Vincent Ignacio
As a recruitment agency, we pride ourselves that Notre Dame Oilfields Maritime Services has a social conscience and supportive of our country’s economic development. Many have benefited from our efforts to secure more jobs for our Filipino seafarers and offshore workers. Provided that they already have the necessary requirements such as trainings, work experience and have a clean bill of health, we can help them land a job on board a vessel or an offshore project.
With our agency, our applicants don’t need to bribe us so they can get work. While it is true that sea-based recruitment agencies are not allowed by the Philippine government to collect placement fees, other greedy agencies still collect grease money from their applicants. Sadly, this has been the norms since the 70’s and hasn’t changed up to now. As of this writing, the going rate is between 50,000 to 60,000 pesos each applicant.
One story that reached me is about a Filipino merchant marine officer who was personally escorted to the airport by the lady owner of a recruitment agency. As he was about to enter the passengers lounge, the lady owner handed him a piece of paper. Written on the piece of paper was her bank account details and she told him to deposit $200 into it every month as payment to her for helping him get a job.
Well that’s just one story out of so many that we encounter in our office. I believe that most of our Filipino seafarers have already accepted this behavior as SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) among sea-based recruitment agencies thus they never bother to report it to the proper authorities. Others were even threatened by these same recruitment agencies that they will have them blacklisted if they complain. Well, they are just that, threats. If no one will take action against these greedy recruitment agencies, they will continue to take advantage on our less informed Filipino seafarers.
Overseas Filipino workers have funneled billions of dollars into the Philippine economy in 2008 alone. They were not only able to provide for their families but also help keep our economy afloat. Every time their loved ones spend their hard-earned remittances, new money is being circulated into our economy.
Again, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients and their representatives. Many were able to go to school, buy their medicine, have food to eat on their tables, in short, many lives changed for the better because of your trust in us as your recruitment agent here in the Philippines. May God prosper your companies more!