The Labor department has started sending personnel in key areas nationwide to inspect and verify the legitimacy of employment of foreigners at Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators and other alien-employing business establishments in the country.
According to Secretary Silvestre Bello III, his agency is deploying 323 Labor and Employment Officers who will be conducting the nationwide inspection and verification until June 30 this year.
The move was in compliance with the administrative order signed and issued by Bello last Jan. 31.
The LEOs will be joined by one regular labor inspector who serves as a team leader to supervise the conduct of verification inspection.
Bello directed all regional directors to authorize the verification/inspection of identified establishments and workplaces.
In Luzon, 87 inspectors were dispatched in Metro Manila, 11 in the Cordillera Administrative Region, 11 in the Ilocos region, 14 in the Cagayan Valley region, 37 in the Central Luzon region, 32 in Southern Tagalog, 12 in Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan (Mimaropa) region, and 12 in the Bicol region.
Meanwhile, 11 LEOs will conduct the inspection in Western Visayas, 22 in Central Visayas, and 12 in Eastern Visayas.
In Mindanao, 12 labor inspectors were authorized to conduct verification inspection in the Zamboanga Peninsula region, 17 in the Northern Mindanao region, 12 in Davao region, 11 in Soccsksargen, and 10 in Caraga.
During the inspection, the inspectors will ascertain the legitimacy of the company as shown by the business permit and the Securities and Exchange Commission registration and verify the roster of local employees and the foreign nationals actually working at the time of inspection.
The inspectors will also check the list of Alien Employment Permit applicants if there are any, and the company representative should certify that they are indeed hiring the foreign nationals.
The labor inspectors shall submit a report to the regional director one day after the conduct of verification inspection.
In 2019, the LEOs were given authority to inspect establishments employing foreign nationals from Oct. 31 to Dec. 15.