MANILA — Close to 4,000 foreigners are illegally employed in the country, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said on Tuesday.
TUCP Spokesman Alan Tanjusay said an estimate 3,500 foreigner nationals, are unregistered and undocumented.
“The influx of migrant workers is a growing phenomenon in the country today. We estimate them to be not less than 3,500,” he said in an interview.
Of the number, 3,000 are Chinese nationals while the rest are Koreans, Japanese, Indonesians, Malaysians, and Vietnamese.
Tanjusay noted that these illegal workers are employed in construction, manufacturing, electronics, and services industries.
They are working in Metro Manila, Central Visayas, Davao Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Bataan and Batangas.
Under the law, foreign workers are required to apply and secure Alien Employment Permits (AEPs) from the Department of Labor and Employment before they are allowed to work in the country.
With this, the TUCP urged the government to create a tripartite committee that will monitor the unabated influx of illegal migrant workers in the country.
“It immediately needs government oversight to ensure that labor laws and standards are in place and are working to make sure there are no abuses and exploitations taking place,” Tanjusay added.
The committee, the group proposed be composed of DOLE, Bureau of Immigration (BI), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), civil society, trade unions, and various industry federations.