POEA warns OFWs vs. illegal recruitment to Lebanon

MANILA – The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on Monday warned the public, particularly aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), to be wary of unscrupulous individuals and entities actively recruiting workers to Lebanon.

POEA chief Bernard Olalia also reminded the people that the deployment ban to the host country is still in effect.

“May we remind the public that the recruitment and placement of Filipinos for deployment to Lebanon is prohibited until the suspension is lifted,” he said in a Facebook post.

He added that these illegal recruitment activities are being done through physical meetups and online transactions.

The Philippine Embassy in Lebanon also expressed concern over the rising number of undocumented workers becoming victims of trafficking, human rights abuses, and labor contract violations due to illegal deployment.

Olalia added that they are already coordinating with authorities to investigate these illegal recruitment activities.

The public is also encouraged to report suspicious individuals recruiting for Lebanon to the POEA Anti-Illegal Recruitment Branch Operations and Surveillance Division through their FB page www.facebook.com/airbranch and their email osd@poea.gov.ph.

In February last year, the POEA issued a temporary suspension on the processing and deployment of new OFWs bound for Lebanon due to the political unrest and economic crisis in the country.