Fifty-six Filipino bus drivers victimized by illegal recruitment agencies in Dubai finally have jobs. 

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Dubai reported that 40 Filipino bus drivers are now employed by Emirates Catering, a company of a leading airline in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It was learned that 16 others were deployed to work at a ready mix concrete company.

The bus drivers were part of the 137 overseas Filipino workers duped by their recruitment agency, CYM International Services and Placement Agency. The agency reportedly disseminated false job advertisement for 4,000 bus drivers for the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai.

Reports said the agency was only able to help 27 Filipinos be employed in RTA as bus drivers.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) suspended CYM, as well as 11 other recruitment agencies that reprocessed job orders of the drivers. CYM’s partner Al Tomooh agency is also not allowed to get job orders from (Philippine Overseas Labor Office) POLO-OWWA.

POLO Welfare Officer Elmer Joven explained that reprocessing job orders is rampant in the Philippines.

“Meaning iba-iba ang posisyon ng mga taong ito. Hindi naman bus drivers at dumaan sila sa 12 recruitment agencies,” said Joven.

He cited an example wherein a job order was submitted to POEA requesting for waitresses or salesladies.

“Pagdating dito kapag sinalubong ng recruitment agencies they ended up as household domestic helpers. Wala na silang magawa,” Joven said.

On Monday, bus drivers accompanied by their legal counsel Atty. Reynaldo Robles of the Chan Robles & Associates and the Blas F. Ople Center filed a landmark suit against CYM International Services and Placement Agency and RJJ Lacaba Financing Corporation.

The bus driver-complainants identified as Reynaldo Salas, Arsenio Alejandro, Ivan dela Cruz, Samen Bassar, Malic Darimbang, Alexander Mangorsi, Datumolok Palaindog, Acman Ali Datuman, Abina-Ali Mobin, Alit Abella, Bernie Naoe and Zohayre Tanggor filed the class suit before the Manila Regional Trial Court.

Aside from the two firms, other companies included as defendants in the class suit are Asian United Bank, Paramount Life and General Insurance Corporation, and High Quality Risk (HQR) Technical Insurance Corporation.

“To circumvent the requirements of the POEA and the law, defendant CYM, in connivance with other placement agencies, provided complainants with fake employment contracts and other bogus documents with employers other than RTA, with most of them supposed to be employed as utility workers, helpers, sales representatives, etc. instead of as bus drivers to facilitate their departure from the country,” Robles said.

Aside from the non-existent promised job openings, the financial firm reportedly continues to harass bus drivers and their families over outstanding checks issued under duress and without proper explanations and documentations.

“Ginigipit na po nila kami,” a bus driver’s wife said, citing demand letters issued by the financing corporation on checks that have fallen due, despite knowing that the workers were not able to land jobs in Dubai as promised to them.

In their complaint, the drivers said they were made to sign loan documents, contracts and/or agreements which they are supposedly bound to pay the financial institutions the total amount of P1.9 million each within a period of 18 months representing an exorbitant interest rate of more than a thousand percent.

CYM charged each bus driver a placement fee of P150,300 for jobs that would earn them P67,000 a month. The drivers found themselves jobless and lacking in funds when they arrived in Dubai. They were housed near a dumpsite and were left to fend for themselves.
 
Atty. Robles explained that the suit seeks to nullify all of the checks considering that the bus drivers were deceived into signing them. It also seeks to petition the court for damages amounting to P300,000 each per aggrieved bus driver.

“This is a major test case of the government’s political will in running after unscrupulous licensed agencies and exploitative lending companies,” Ople said.

The Ople Center said it will continue to assist the victims in filing complaints with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Insurance Commission and the Bureau of Internal Revenue. With a report from Dindo Amparo, ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau, Chief