MANDALUYONG CITY, Sep. 29 — The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has warned Filipino workers against using falsified documents to support their applications for overseas jobs.
Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac on Sunday said the Philippine Embassy in Wellington has reported that a substantial number of Filipino dairy farm workers have entered New Zealand using false employment certificates. The report said unscrupulous individuals in the Philippines issued the fake certificates in exchange for a considerable amount of money.
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz has already instructed Cacdac to investigate the alleged use of such fraudulent documents, which she said may affect the implementation of the just-concluded labor agreement between New Zealand and the Philippines.
Cacdac said there were reports that Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has been applying more scrutiny to the applications of dairy workers from the Philippines after a number of issues in relation to the work experience of some applicants were found.
“The alleged irregularities may have been the cause of delays in the issuance of work visas for Filipino dairy farm workers,” Cacdac said.
The report said the persons facilitating the false documents are charging applicants NZ$15,000 for an illegally attained visa. (POEA)