Language school closed for illegal recruitment

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has ordered the closure of a language learning center located in Barangay Pajo, Lapu-Lapu City, for allegedly engaging in recruitment and placement activities without a license or authority from the department.

- Kristin de Dios/BRP

This center is the thirteenth to be shut down this year and the first in Cebu. At least 13 students were enrolled in the Lapu-Lapu City branch.

DMW Protection Bureau director Eric Dollete said the students were first required to pass necessary Japanese exams --specifically, the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and the Skilled Worker Test. Qualified graduates were then referred to licensed recruitment agencies based in Metro Manila.

Dollete said that they discovered the center through social media advertisements and conducted a thorough investigation using online surveillance, which confirmed the illegal recruitment activities.

He emphasized that illegal recruitment has now expanded to online platforms, prompting the DMW to intensify its online surveillance efforts.

Dollete also revealed that the center has two other branches in Malolos and Calumpit, Bulacan, which started operating in 2020, while the Cebu branch only opened in January this year.