POEA suspends Raysa International Smart Employment Services agency for misleading hotel workers to perform household work

Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac has ordered the preventive suspension of Raysa International Smart Employment Services which was found to have been recruiting and deploying hotel employees that eventually end up working as household service workers (HSW).

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz has previously warned licensed recruitment that the government will not take lightly, but act swiftly, on cases of abuse and violation of rights of overseas Filipino workers, particularly the household service workers.

Cacdac said the POEA motu propio filed various recruitment violation cases against Raysa International after receiving a report from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Jeddah about the letter from Al Jahora Al Raqia Hotel in Saudi Arabia, complaining that the agency illegally deployed Filipino workers under the name of the said hotel. The recruitment violations included misrepresentation, falsification, unauthorized recruitment activity, and deploying workers to principals not accredited by the POEA.

The Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Jeddah reported that Saudi Police authorities has called its attention regarding a female OFW who was found wandering in Tabuk City. The POLO discovered that the worker was deployed by Raysa International to work as laundry girl at Al Jahora Al Raqia Hotel. The manager of the hotel, however, denied recruiting the OFW and said it only engaged the services of Raysa International for the recruitment of three male Filipino workers and have not issued visas for female workers to the agency.

Cacdac said the worker testified that she applied with Raysa International in Cotabato City and was provided a birth certificate and money for processing of her passport. She stayed in a room in Las Pinas City with other recruits while waiting for her travel documents.

The worker alleged that when she arrived in Riyadh, she was made to stay in a big house with other female workers of different nationalities. After four days of waiting to be brought to the hotel, an Arab couple fetched her and they travelled by bus to Jeddah where she worked for a family as domestic helper. Her employer released her to the Saudi broker after 10 days because she does not speak nor understand the Arabic language.

She worked for another household in Tabuk City, but left after four months when the employer maltreated her and the employer’s son stole SR3000 from her.

Cacdac said Raysa International Smart Employment Services cannot engage in the recruitment and deployment of Filipino workers overseas while under preventive suspension. - POEA