Manila (26 March) --- At least 500 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) failed to leave for their jobs in the Middle East since the start of the year allegedly for not being able to “shell out grease money” to Bureau of Immigration (BI) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) personnel assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), sources said yesterday.

The Dubai and Kuwait-bound workers, who requested anonymity, said although they were properly documented, airport authorities prevented them from boarding their plane.
NAIA general manager Edgar Manda could not be reached for comment.

“Our contracts were thoroughly processed by licensed agencies with the Philippine Labor Attaches abroad in Dubai and Kuwait, and all the job orders were accredited by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency, but they stopped us,” they said.

A BI worker confirmed that last Saturday, 20 OFWs were barred from boarding their plane allegedly for “not having complete papers.”

Sources at the airport said NBI and BI personnel have been reportedly “milking” OFWs at the airport.

“Even after verifying their documents and securing their boarding passes, these NBI and BI agents at the airport departure gates stop OFWs on suspicion of being undocumented workers,” the workers said.

The workers added that even if these agents find that the OFWs have proper documents, they ask for other papers and force them to shell out a “certain amount of money.’’  Local recruiters said airport authorities should not ask Dubai-bound workers to present their original visas because these are with foreign employers and only a copy is sent to the Philippine labor office and recruitment agency together with the verified and authenticated contract.

“On a daily basis, about 20 to 30 workers are being barred from leaving for unjust reason,” a recruitment leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. The recruitment official noted that since January about 500 have not been able to leave the country because of the “circuitous and difficult procedures” being implemented by various agencies at the airport.  Some workers, however, alleged that BI and NBI personnel allowed some OFWs to board the plane after they were given P3,000.

Recruitment industry officials called on NAIA officials to investigate alleged prevalent “corruption” at the airport.

They said agencies suffer financial losses whenever workers are unable to leave for their jobs because of corrupt people at the NAIA.

They cited the case of OFWs who lost their jobs for failing to arrive on time in Dubai after members of the Presidential Task Force on Illegal Recruitment stopped them from leaving.  “In some cases, we also have to re-book the departure date and as a result the agency has to pay additional $50 for every OFW,” recruiters said.

They said the task force should intensify their efforts and go after the illegal recruiters but not at the expense of documented workers.