MANILA, Philippines — The Department of MIgrant Workers (DMW) has made a whitelist of recruitment agencies who wish to conscript aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFW) to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. 

In a press briefing on Thursday, December 5, DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said Memorandum Circular no. 5 mandates that only private recruitment agencies (PRA) and foreign recruitment agencies (FRA) on the DMW’s whitelist can recruit OFWs to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. 

"We are introducing this whitelisting mechanism to ensure that only employers with good track records are allowed to deploy workers to various destination countries, thereby guaranteeing their safety and well-being," Olalia said in a press briefing. 

In the new guidelines, agencies in whitelist must comply with recruitment laws, provide social welfare for OFWs and more. Olalia said it would also avoid recruitment agencies with a disagreeable past. 

To qualify for the whitelist, agencies must not have been subject to the penalty of cancellation, neither should it be suspended or under investigation, watchlisted or more. 

"The policy includes the appointment of Welfare Desk Officers to oversee the safety and conditions of deployed workers. Any licensed private recruitment agency or foreign recruitment agency that violates the standards set by the DMW will face disciplinary actions, including possible removal from the whitelist," Olalia said. 

For Saudi Arabia, there are 432 licensed PRAs and 573 FRAs. For Kuwait, there are 183 PRAs and 184 FRAs. 

DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said this was part of an ongoing effort to make sure that only recruitment agencies with a good reputation can work with OFWs. 

"The initiative is being expanded to key labor markets, including the UAE, Qatar, and other countries where Filipino workers are in demand," Cacdac said. 

Both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have a history of OFWs being injured, mistreated or even killed in their countries. 

In Saudi Arabia, two OFWs reportedly died under questionable circumstances after their families said that they were being mistreated by their employers. 

The families’ pleas reached the Senate, with both the DMW and the Upper Chamber vowing to look into the matter. 

For Kuwait, the shocking killing of Jullebee Ranara at the hands of her employer’s son pushed the Philippine government to limit the number of OFWs deployed to the country. In response, Kuwait implemented a visa ban for all OFWs. 

While the ban in Kuwait has been liftedpeso63,, only experienced OFWs are allowed deployment there. 

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