Fishermen are seafarers and should not be charged placement fee, POEA rules

News Release

12 May 2014

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said fishermen are considered
seafarers and should not pay placement fee as it cancelled the license of a manning
agency for illegal exaction of placement fee from fishermen it deployed to Taiwan
fishing vessels.

Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac said Jenar Maritime Incorporated, in two separate
cases, was found to have violated Section 1, Rule IV, Part II of the POEA Rules and
Regulations Governing the Recruitment and Employment of Seafarers.

The said Rule specifies that “agencies shall charge from their principals manning fee
to cover services rendered in the recruitment and deployment of seafarers.
However, manning agencies shall not charge any fee from the seafarers for their
recruitment and deployment services”.

Cacdac said that in the first case against Jenar Maritime, the complainant alleged
that the agency required him to pay a placement fee of Php75,000.00. With the
assistance of an employee of the manning agency, the applicant took a
Php75,000.00 loan from a lending company and paid the placement fee.

The complainant also alleged that Jenar maritime required him to make a written
statement stating that he did not pay a placement fee to the agency. He said he was
forced to write and sign the statement for fear of losing the job and for lack of
material time to complain.

He worked as a fisherman in a Taiwanese fishing vessel but requested repatriation
after two months complaining of breaches of contract committed by his employer.

In the second case, Jenar Maritime collected Php80,000 from another applicant for
fisherman in Taiwan who was also referred to a lending agency. He was also made to
write a statement that he did not pay any placement fee from the agency.

Cacdac said charging or accepting directly or indirectly any amount of money. Goods,
services, or any fee or bond for any purpose from seafarers carry a penalty of
cancellation of license. It also carry the accessory penalty of refund of the fee
charged o collected from the seafarer.

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