BE WARY ABOUT TRAVEL AGENCIES

Travel agencies blamed for stranded OFWs outside UAE
By Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 14:50:00 09/27/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- Travel agencies, not recruitment firms, deployed the thousands of Filipinos stranded outside the borders of the United Arab Emirates, recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani said Saturday.

He thus urged the Department of Tourism to crack down and suspend travel agencies that have enticed more than 50,000 Filipinos since 2006 to try their luck in Dubai, looking for jobs with only visitor or tourist visas.

"So many Filipinos have been duped with this scheme so much so that Dubai is now bursting with Filipinos seeking jobs in that part of UAE, wandering around begging for assistance from their kababayans (countrymen)," Geslani said.

"The (employment) situation is so tight that there are now at least more than 400,000 OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) working or looking for jobs in Dubai and salary scales have gone down with Dubai employers offering lower salaries to undocumented OFWs," he said.

Geslani said licensed recruitment agencies have increased their deployment to UAE as the oil- and dollar reserves- rich nation continue constructing hotels and resorts. Those they deploy have working visas valid for two to three years and are protected by contracts.

In contrast, undocumented workers are normally more vulnerable to abuse and are often underpaid, if not altogether unpaid.

Geslani said new UAE immigration rules which took effect last July penalize employers with stiff fines and imprisonment for using undocumented workers, prompting Filipinos with expiring visitor or tourist visas to circumvent these rules and leave UAE and wait outside the borders for new visitor visa or worker visas from employers in order to get back into UAE.

Those who cannot find employers often end up stranded. Some work as sex worker in Kish island of Iran to save enough airfare money to return to the country.