BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) closed the operation of a Nihongo language training center for allegedly being involved in the illegal recruitment and deployment of workers to Japan in violation of existing laws, rules and regulations governing the recruitment, hiring and deployment of migrant workers.
Undersecretary Bernard Olalia and Assistant Secretary Francis Ron de Guzman led the DMW operatives assisted by law enforcers from various government entities in serving the closure order to the Institute of Building Foreign Languages based in Quezon Hill Friday noon.
Olalia claimed that the issuance of the closure order to the administration and management of the Nihongo language center was an offshoot of the results of an investigation that was conducted by the DMW on the complaints of several individuals who alleged that the center collected from them excessive training fees ranging from P80,000 to P100,000 each to cover their language training and deployment for overseas work to Japan.
The DMW official said that the agency discovered that the Japanese language training center does not have the requisite license to recruit, hire or deploy workers to Japan in violating of existing laws, rules and regulations that is why the closure order was subsequently issued to prevent more individuals from being victimized by the center’s modus.
For his part, Assistant Secretary De Guzman disclosed that the center’s modus is to recruit potential trainees of the Nihongo language with an alleged promise that they will be deployed to Japan after their training provided that they pay the required training fee.
According to him, the complainants reportedly paid the required training fee and were able to complete the Nihongo language training but were not reportedly deployed to Japan for their desired overseas work that is why they were compelled to file their complaints some three months ago.
Undersecretary Olalia said that the said center has a tie up with a Manila-based licensed recruitment agency that is in charge of the deployment of the qualified workers to japan that is why the DMW will be conducting a separate investigation on the matter to ascertain the recruitment agency’s liability on the said agreement with the closed training center.
The DMW officials called on city residents to first ensure that they are dealing with licensed recruitment agencies to facilitate their deployment for their overseas work in any foreign land to ensure that they will not be victims of illegal recruitment that will result to the loss of their hard earned money to the illegal recruiters.
The said officials encouraged the residents to immediately report to the agency any doubtful activities of similar training centers or unlicensed recruitment agencies so that appropriate action could be instituted to prevent the illegal recruiters from victimizing innocent applicants for overseas work and to help them wisely use their hard earned money.
Olalia expressed the DMW’s gratitude to the local government for extending full assistance to the members of the team in ensuring the successful service of the closure order to the Nihongo language training center that had been operating in the city for a good number of years.
Officials and employees of the said center refused to comment on the issuance of the closure order to their establishment even if they were present during the implementation of the said DMW order. By Dexter A. See
