DOLE warns against hiring foreign workers

MANILA - Amid reports of rising number of illegal foreign workers in the country, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) yesterday warned local commercial establishments against hiring of foreign nationals without securing necessary employment permits.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said local employers hiring foreign workers without the necessary permit from DOLE face imprisonment and other penalties.

“DOLE is strictly enforcing the revised rules for the issuance of alien employment permits (AEPs), for which our regional offices have direct responsibility,” Baldoz noted.

Baldoz has already directed all DOLE regional offices to strictly enforce the rules on the issuance of alien employment permit.

Under the Labor Code, Baldoz said, any foreign national seeking admission to the Philippines for employment purposes, and any domestic or foreign employer who desires to engage a foreign national for employment in the Philippines, are requested to obtain an Alien Employment Permit from DOLE.

“The AEP is a permit issued to a non-resident alien or foreign national seeking admission to the Philippines for work after it has been determined a competent and able Filipino citizen is unavailable or unwilling at the time of application to perform the services for which the alien is desired,” Baldoz explained.

She said an AEP is also required for foreign nationals who assume a new job position within their current organizations or those who transferred to a new position within related companies.

Based on DOLE guidelines, DOLE regional directors are authorized to conduct ocular inspection to verify legitimacy of employment of foreign national and a verification inspection of the establishment employing foreign nationals within 30 days after issuance of the AEP.

Baldoz said foreign nationals found to be working in the Philippines without a valid AEP would be fined P10,000 for every year of illegal work or fraction, while companies that illegally employed them would also be subject to a fine of P10,000 for every year of illegal employment or a fraction thereof.

DOLE will publish an AEP application to allow the general public to object to the new employment or job change of the foreign national within 30 days from the time of publication.

Baldoz said DOLE regional directors could deny an application for an AEP if the applicant has been convicted of a criminal offense or is a fugitive from justice. DOLE may also may also motu proprio, or upon petition, cancel or revoke an AEP after due process based on meritorious objection or information against the employment of the foreign nationals.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) earlier reported a continuing growth in the number of illegal foreign workers in the country for the past years.

The greater bulk of the undocumented foreign workers here, TUCP claimed are Chinese nationals while others are Koreans, Japanese, Indonesians, Malaysians and Vietnamese.

Undocumented foreign workers are employed commonly in the construction, manufacturing, electronics, and services industries located in Metro Manila, Central Visayas, Davao Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Bataan and Batangas. -By Mayen Jaymalin, The Philippine Star

Gov't urged to sack 16 Chinese experts in NGCP

A labor group claims that the Chinese experts working at the National Grid Corp.of the Philippines have installed fiber optics to the command and control of the entire grid without the appropriate franchise from Congress. 

MANILA, Philippines - The 16 Chinese experts working at the country’s National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) should be replaced by Filipino experts, labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines - Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) said on Monday.

The foreigners' Alien Employment Permit will expire on July 31.

"We have a very delicate situation rife with national security interest issue where a very critical and a very strategic government facility is in the hands of and controlled by foreigners. We would like to see this corrected as quickly as possible by having the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Labor and Employment ensure the immediate termination of their work permits immediately and not allow it renewed," TUCP-Nagkaisa executive director Louie Corral said.

He said the labor group expects DOE to ensure that operations manual for the NGCP has been translated into English from Chinese in time for the transition.

"It's scandalous and irresponsible for us to have allowed that the NGCP operations manual - the command and control of the entire electricity system - to be hostaged to a foreign language and hostaged to foreign experts," Corral said.

TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said the labor group is also urging the Energy Regulatory Commission and the National Telecommunication Commission to conduct due diligence in the integrity of the entire NGCP transmission system.

"We received a reliable information alleging State Grid of China have installed fiber optics attached to the command and control of the entire grid without the appropriate franchise from the House of Representaives. This poses, we have a serious national security concern given the current state of play of China-Philippine relations," Tanjusay said.

The Philippines and China are now locked in an arbitration before a tribunal at The Hague, Netherlands in connection with West Philippine Sea dispute. - By Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com)

Passage of Typhoon Code Law sought

MANILA, Philippines - Employers would be required to adopt a policy disallowing deduction from salaries of employees unable to report for work during typhoons when a bill seeking a Typhoon Code is passed into law.

Labor unions Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) and Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) are asking Congress to immediately pass into law the bill of Diwa Rep. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar.

“We look forward for the immediate approval of the bill because it will enhance workers’ productivity when it becomes a law,” TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said.

KMU said companies not related to saving lives should be prohibited from forcing their workers to report for work during typhoons.

“To simplify things, I think the (rules) in suspension of classes could serve as a gauge when workers could stay home and not report for work,” KMU said.

Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) needs to study the bill before coming out with an official position.

“If this code will cover wages and benefits of workers during typhoons, they are in full conformity with the labor code, in which case I have no objections,” she said.- By Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)

Govt urged to prepare contingency plans for Pinoys in Greece

A labor group on Tuesday urged the government to prepare contingency plans for Filipinos who may be affected by Greece's economic crisis, less than a week after the debt-ridden European nation voted no to bailout reform proposals.

"The current events had already resulted in a major decline in the service and tourism industry—hotels, restaurants, cruise ships— where majority of Filipino OFWs are employed," said Louie Corral, executive director of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa), in a statement.

"Clearly, cash will be tight for Greeks and many do not even know where their next paycheck will come from. What more for our OFWs?" Corral added.

Filipinos were unable to remit their money home last week after Greek banks limited their activities due to capital control. Greek nationals were also limited to €60 per ATM withdrawal.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said on Monday that Filipinos were secure in their jobs despite the economic crisis and that they may still find jobs in other countries should they need new employment.

Despite this, TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay called on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to create contingency plans to support OFW's to relieve the impact the Greek financial crisis may have on them.

DFA spokesperson Charles Jose said the government is now studying the effects of the Greek referendum on OFW prospects and that it has already advised Filipinos in Greece to prepare for any eventuality.

There is an estimated 61,500 Filipino workers in Greece. Of this, 11,500, mostly domestic helpers, are land-based, while 60,000 are seafarers.

Majority of Greeks voted against an international bailout offer on Sunday, in a move opposition members warned could result in Greece being booted out of the Eurozone. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News