MANILA, 23 February 2005 — Beware of recruiters promising jobs in Europe, particularly Italy, Filipino jobseekers were warned yesterday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs issued the warning following the arrest of three Filipinos in Hungary for not having the right visas.
A press statement by the DFA said it received a report from the Philippine Embassy in Budapest saying the Filipinos were being detained in Nagkanizsa, a city close to the Croatian border.
“They were apprehended on Feb. 13 on board a train in the town of Zakanyi, one of Hungary’s border crossings with Croatia,” said the press statement.
It said the unfortunate jobseekers, all from the province of Batangas, 120 kilometers south of Manila, were allegedly recruited by a townmate from Tanauan, Batangas, named Carlito de la Cueva.
“They were made to believe that they were in possession of a Schengen Visa, but had only Hungarian visas stamped on their passports,” said the statement.
Philippine Embassy officials learned from the victims that they paid 350,000 pesos each to their recruiter and they were made to believe that going to Italy would be easy, said the statement.
Alejandro Del Rosario, Philippine Ambassador to Hungary, immediately sent a team led by Consul Armando L. Comia to Nagkanizsa to attend to help the victims, it added.
Comia was reportedly assured by detention center authorities of the detainees’ early repatriation once their return tickets and bookings are confirmed.
“The sister in the Philippines of one of the victims promised to arrange the return tickets of the apprehended Filipinos,” said the statement.
The DFA advised prospective OFWs to deal only with recruiters licensed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
