DMW shutters Nihongo center for offering jobs
Several offices of a Japanese learning center were closed and padlocked by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Thursday for allegedly offering jobs in Japan without a license from the agency.
According to the DMW, the main branch of Hikari Japanese Learning Center Corp in Panabo City, Davao del Norte, was shut down along with its four branches located in Manila.
The DMW said Hikari was offering various jobs in Japan in the sectors of hotel and restaurant service, food processing, care giving, farming and food and beverage manufacturing under the Technical Internship Training Program and later transitioning to the Specified Skilled Worker Program.
P33,000 training fee
Based on the surveillance done by the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau (MWPB), Hikari would “entice” its applicants to enroll in their four-month language training for a P33,710 training fee. The learning center would allegedly then refer the applicants for screening of its tie-up agencies for deployment, the DMW said.
The DMW said Hikari operated under this scheme while not having the proper license from the department to offer jobs abroad.
Recruitment license
“We reiterate this warning to our [countrymen], especially those who aspire to work abroad: please do not deal with recruiting entities that do not have license or authorization from the DMW to recruit and deploy workers for overseas jobs,” Migrant Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said.
The DMW said illegal recruitment charges will be filed against the management of the learning center. All of its officers will also be included in the DMW’s List of Persons and Establishments with Derogatory Record, it said.
They will be permanently denied participation in the government’s overseas recruitment program.
The case stemmed from the online monitoring of MWPB of various recruitment activities in social media platforms. Hikari’s closure is also the first closure operation of the MWPB this year as the DMW increases its efforts against illegal recruitment.
