At least 80 percent of overseas Filipinos workers in the Republic of Palau are undocumented, according the Philippine Overseas Labor Office on Saipan.
Labor Rep. Joan Lourdes Lavilla told Saipan Tribune that Philippine Ambassador in Palau Ramoncito Marino had informed them that Filipino workers in Palau are directly hired by employers in Palau without undergoing government recommended procedures.
Lavilla said these workers did not go through the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration in the Philippines. She said most went to Palau as tourists but later changed their visa status to “working” without registering themselves with the Philippine Consulate Office.
She said this practice is not rampant in the CNMI because majority of employers still go through the Philippine Consulate for proper hiring of Filipinos. She said employers strictly follow CNMI labor laws.
Lavilla, together with POEA administrator Rosalinda Baldoz visited Palau in September for a marketing mission in the island republic. The two, guided by Marino, met with Palau government officials. They also met with the Palau Chamber of Commerce.
Lavilla said they met with several Filipinos in Palau and found out that these workers were improperly hired. She said the workers told them that when they were hired, they were promised better jobs. “But when they arrived in Palau, they were made to work in a different job.”
Lavilla also said these workers are being made to believe that Palau is a U.S. territory.
Lavilla advises all Filipinos and their families to be very cautious in accepting jobs anywhere.
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