POEA: Recruitment of Seafarers in Luneta is Illegal

The Rizal Park area that is near the National Library in Manila is a popular place forseafarers who are looking for work because this has become a one-stop recruitmentcenter for them. One of the reasons is the proximity of the place to manning agencies around the Kalaw area. Manning agencies have set up booths there and they conduct recruitment activities. The booths are managed by the Luneta Seafarers’ Welfare Foundation, Inc. However on May 2009, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) under the management of former POEA chief, Jennifer Jardin-Manalili announced that all recruitment activities of land-based and sea-based agencies in the area are deemed illegal. The government agency issued the law because of reports of unfair hiring practices in the area. Likewise the POEA has not issued any Special Recruitment Authority (SRA) to manning agencies conducting recruitment activities in the said area since May 2009. Administrative sanction awaits those who will disobey this law. The SRA is the permit given to licensed recruitment agencies so they can still conduct legal recruitment outside heir registered offices. The POEA also requires the manning agencies to submit sworn statements of their activities, and remove their posters andjob advertisements in the area. Continue reading...