THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) yesterday shut down a consultancy firm based in Manila that is promising maritime jobs to aspiring overseas Filipino workers.
Accompanied by the Manila Police District (MPD), the DMW closed the office of Double D Training Consultancy Services (DDTC) at Room 301, MBI Building, Ronquillo corner Ongpin Streets in Sta. Cruz, Manila.
“DDTC is neither licensed nor authorized by the DMW to recruit and place Filipino seafarers or to refer them directly to foreign employers,” DMW Officer-in-Charge Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said in a statement.
“This DDTC does not have the right to hire or deploy seafarers abroad,” he added.
Based on the surveillance of the DMW – Migrant Workers Protection Bureau (MWPB), DDTC has been found offering jobs for various sea-based positions, such as able-bodied seaman, oiler, and engineer.
In exchange, the agency is charging a P80,000 processing fee per applicant.
The DMW said such acts mean that DDTC and its personnel shall be included in the “List of Persons and Establishments with Derogatory Record” in order to prevent them from participating in the overseas recruitment program.
In addition, the Department said DDTC and its officials and personnel are likely to face charges of illegal recruitment.
The DMW is encouraging the victims of DDTC to contact the MWPB for legal assistance in filing cases against the firm.
It can be done through the DMW-MWPB Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/dmwairtip; email at mwpb@dmw.gov.ph; or through their hotline number +63 2 8721-0619.
