By Rose B. Palacio

Davao City (20 November) -- The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Officer-In-Charge for Mindanao Field Office, Ma. Carolina B. Agdamag said the government has identified countries abroad that are banned for deployment as per instruction by POEA Administrator Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz.

Ban for deployment of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are the countries of Iraq, Nigeria, and Afghanistan. The existing ban on the deployment to these countries remain because its unstable peace and order situation as reported by the Department of Foreign Affairs during a meeting on OFWs last September 27, 2007 led by Vice President Noli de Castro and attended by officials from the DFA, DOLE, OWWA, NBI, CFO and Ambassador Roy A. Cimatu of the PMEPC.

To ensure the full enforcement without exception of the deployment ban to countries with unstable peace and order situations, the DFA has stopped the issuance of travel clearance or No-Objection Certificate (NOC).

Meanwhile, OIC Agdamag said the POEA is again waging its war against illegal recruiters preying jobseekers who wish to work abroad and those using the internet to dupe the unwary.

Agdamag said recruiters prey on many victims and tripled the amount they took from victims last year, leaving more victims poorer than ever.

Illegal recruiters offer all sorts of jobs abroad with enticing salaries, illegally use POEA website, and conduct interviews by using all sorts of web sites, using many other gimmicks to beguile victims.

Despite the inter-based information campaign launched by the POEA to warn people especially jobseekers against these illegal cyber-recruiters, they continue to proliferate.

"In far-flung areas and barangays, we urge our barangay leaders to help protect their people against sweet-talking illegal recruiters," she said.

Villagers become willing victims in the hope of landing the jobs abroad that offer big salaries, with the promise of lucrative jobs, she further said.