Several netizens posted status updates claiming that Filipinos can now apply as domestic helpers in South Korea directly through the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). These are false.
The erroneous Facebook (FB) posts circulated as early as June 5, claiming that successful applicants can receive more than P80,000 salary per month. One of the posts read:
“Domestic helper in Korea Approved Na (Now Approved) 83-84k a month! No agency po..direct sa POEA (direct to POEA)! Ano pa iniintay nio apply na (What are you waiting for apply now).”
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Philippine Embassy in Korea denied the existence of a government-to-government hiring program for domestic Filipino workers wishing to go to South Korea.
In a June 8 advisory posted on FB, DMW’s Pre Employment and Government Placement Bureau called the viral posts “scams” and urged the public to rely only on their official website and social media pages for legitimate announcements of government-to-government hirings.
Netizens were also advised to report illegal recruitment activities related to the posts to the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau. The DMW and the Philippine Embassy in Korea’s FB pages also shared the statement.
According to the 2016 revised POEA rules and regulations on the recruitment and employment of landbased OFWs, the government deploys workers only “to countries where the Philippines has concluded bilateral labor agreements or arrangements.”
Since 2004, the Philippines and South Korea have followed a Memorandum of Agreement on the sending and receiving of workers under Korea’s Employment Permit System (EPS). Korea’s Human Resources Development Service website states that this agreement only involves government-to-government hiring of workers in the manufacturing, construction, service, fishing and agriculture, and stock-breeding industries.
According to May 2023 news reports, South Korea is in the process of reviewing a pilot project that would allow workers from Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, to work as domestic helpers in the country by adding domestic help in the fields allowed under the EPS.
Several netizens fell for the wrong information in the viral posts, with most of them asking how to apply in the comment sections.
The posts circulated a week after the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations conducted a public hearing in support of the ratification of the social security agreement between the Philippines and South Korea. According to Sen. Imee Marcos, the agreement aims to “ensure the protection of OFWs and other Filipinos who move from one country to the other and avoid the dual payments of insurance [and] social security benefits.”
DMW held a mega job fair on June 12 where Secretary Susan Ople announced that they will hold regular online job fairs to “compete with those who use social media for unethical and illegal recruitment schemes.”
Several netizens posted the false claims collectively garnering at least 1,691 interactions.
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
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