Pampanga Governor Lilia G. Pineda is set to ink a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on April 27 to further intensify the government’s anti-illegal recruitment campaign in the province.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Department of Labor and Employment and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) will also sign the MOU as they agree to join hands and coordinate efforts to implement an intensified and well-sustained campaign against illegal recruiters.
Jonathan Lintag, Public Employment Services Office (PESO) assistant provincial head, described the joint program as the first of its kind in the country as it would involve the participation of all stakeholders from the national, provincial, down to the municipal and barangay levels.
The MOU will be signed by the governor, POEA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac, OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon, DOLE Regional Director Raymundo Agravante and CFO Chairperson Imelda M. Nicolas at the Lewis Grand Hotel in Angeles City.
The campaign targets the attainment of illegal-recruitment free local government units as it would implement a massive information campaign that will reach the grassroots level, Lintag said.
He added that two capability building seminars will be conducted in the same venue prior to the signing of the MOU.
On April 25, a one-day seminar on anti-illegal recruitment/anti-trafficking in persons campaign with 60 law enforcers from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DOJ) as participants will be held.
The seminar aims to provide the frontliners and stakeholders of the campaign with adequate knowledge and understanding of their roles and duties to ensure the effective implementation of the campaign.
More so, a capability enhancement training on the overseas employment program will be conducted for PESO managers, barangay captains, non-government organizations, and representatives from the academe.
About 60 participants are expected to attend the said training scheduled on April 26 and 27.
Lintag said that upon the signing of the MOU, a working committee composed of authorized representatives from POEA, OWWA, DOLE, CFO and the provincial government shall be constituted to evaluate and assess the implementation of the campaign. (Erlinda T. Yutuc, Pampanga PIO)
