POEA warns recruitment agencies without job orders not to hire nurses

MANILA - The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on Wednesday warned recruitment agencies not to hire workers, especially nurses, without a job order from foreign employers.

“Kayong mga agencies, you know the drill. Alam po ninyo na hindi pwedeng magpapirma ng employment contract kapag wala kayong JO (job order), kahit meron kayong accreditation,” said POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia.

In an online forum organized by the United Filipino Global, Olalia heard complaints from nurses regarding agencies that signed them up without telling them that they do not have job orders yet. 

“The JO is the document itself na meron pong available work yung foreign employer. Pag walang JO, you should not hire, you should not advertise, you should not entice workers, especially itong mga nurses natin na nagmamadali, nagmamakaawang ma-deploy. Bibigyan n'yo ng false hope,” he said.

“Let them find a valid agency na may valid JO,” he added.

Olalia urged nurses to go to POEA so that they could file a complaint against the agencies.

“Yung mga hindi compliant, sabihin n'yo sa mga nurses na pumunta sa akin para sasampahan namin ng kaso, para hindi lang po suspinde, kanselahin po natin mga lisensiya,” he said.

Meanwhile, Olalia announced that POEA issued this week the automatic extension and accreditation of all foreign employers.

“Sa latest circular na ipinalabas, yung pong accreditation ng foreign employers natin, which will expire during this quarantine period, will be extended up to the end of December of this year, subject to certain conditions,” he said.

The agency also included the automatic revalidation of expiring job orders during the quarantine period.

“Ibig sabihin, kapag may job orders na more than 2 years na, we issued a circular stating, among others, na extended yung validity nung job orders until end of December of this year. In-extend natin para seamless yung ating deployment,” he said.