Filipino migrant teachers in Louisiana win POEA case

Press Release

May 22, 2011

The Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) found in favor of ten Filipino migrant teachers deployed to Louisiana, USA in an administrative case against their recruiter. In a decision dated May 9, 2011, the POEA cancelled the license of the local-based recruitment agency, imposed fines and awarded refund to the complainants.

“We welcome the victory of the brave Filipino migrant teachers of Louisiana. This comes in the wake of earlier awards by the Louisiana Work Commission (LWC) to the teachers for violation of labor laws in the US by their US-based recruiter. Hopefully illegal recruiters will learn a lesson from the courageous fight put up by the teachers,” stated Judy Ann Miranda, secretary-general of Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).

PM is assisting the Filipino migrant teachers in their organizing efforts through a US-based liaison officer and in their legal case here in the Philippines. Among the complainants who won an award from the POEA is Mairi Nunag-Tanedo who is executive vice president of the Filipino Educators Federation of Louisiana (FEFL), the organization formed by the US-based teachers in pursuit of their campaign for justice against their illegal recruiters.

“We encourage other teachers who have been similarly victimized by PARS and UPI or other illegal recruiters to come out and fight for your rights. We will support you and through perseverance, you will surely win as the precedent of the Louisiana teachers have shown,” Miranda added.

In the decision signed by POEA Administrator Carlos S. Cao, Jr., the local-based PARS International Placement Agency and the US-based Universal Placement International (UPI) was found guilty of overcharging of fees. The license of PARS was ordered cancelled, and its officers and directors of the agency at the time the offense was committed were also prohibited from engaging in the business of overseas placement. Fines were also imposed on PARS. Finally, refunds in amounts ranging from USD 4,583.33 to USD 7,169.33 were awarded to each of 10 complainants. They had originally paid around $15,000 as placement and other fees.

Moreover UPI was prohibited from participating in the overseas placement program of the government. The owners of PARS and UPI, Emilio V. Villarba and Lourdes Navarro respectively, were also put in the POEA’s list of people with derogatory records. These two entities, according to PM and FEFL are owned and operated by one family since Villarba and Navarro are siblings.

In separate cases filed by some 15 teachers more than a year ago, the two agencies were accused of over-charging their clients of placement and other fees, and contract violations. Last April 10, 2010, the LWC ruled that UPI had charged the teachers certain fees which were prohibited and premature under state laws, and ordered it to repay the Filipino teachers $1.8 million in illegally charged fees.

Labor party welcomes suspension order against teacher recruiter

PRESS RELEASE
22 November 2009

The labor partylist group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) welcomes the issuance by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) of a preventive suspension against the recruitment agencies accused by local and US-based Filipino teachers of defrauding and exploiting them.

In an order dated November 19, 2009, the POEA by motu propio suspended the operation of PARS International Placement Agency and Universal Placement International, recruitment agencies which had been the subject of several complaints by many teachers both here and in the US. The suspension order is for POEA Cases No. RV 09-10-2258 / DAE 09-10-1873/ RV 09-11-2373 / DAE 09-11-1932 lodged by several teachers against the two agencies.

The two agencies have been accused of over-charging their clients of placement and other fees and contract violations, among others.

The Quezon City-based PARS is owned by Emilio V. Villarba while the Los Angeles based UPI is owned by a certain Lourdes Navarro. These two entities, according to the case profile prepared by Louisiana-based Filipino teachers and the liaison officer of Partido ng Manggagawa in the US, are owned and operated by one family. Villarba and Navarro are siblings. The former is in charged with the recruitment in Philippines.

The suspension order came on the same day two more Louisiana-based Filipino teachers, Mairi Tanedo and Geralyn Bacus, filed their formal complaints against the agency at the POEA. Tanedo and Bacus were both deployed for a one year contract at the East Baton Rouge Parish School System in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Some 250 teachers were deployed through these placement agencies in Louisiana alone.

“We view this as partial victory for our teachers, but sweet victory no less. And this was made possible with the courage and solid determination by our teachers to exact justice from crooked but well-connected recruiters,” said PM Secretary General Judy Ann Miranda.

The labor party believes that with the sanctions imposed against the PARS and UPI, more of its victims would surely come forward to pursue their cases.

But according to Tanedo and Bacus, after having talks with some POEA officials, the suspension order can be easily lifted soon after the agencies submit their counter claims. They hope, however, that their separate complaints will cause another suspension. The two teachers said they are also waiting for the notarized copy of some 60 more complaints coming from the US, which they believe could finally nail down these two agencies.

The Partido ng Manggagawa and the Public Services Independent Confederation (PSLINK) are also preparing to lodge their own complaints.

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) also had taken up the campaign for the Filipino teachers by filing separate cases against the UPI before the US Department of Labor for several violations of labor and non-immigrant program laws. (see attached AFT Filing)

Tanedo and Bacus, in coordination with PM and PSLINK, are now organizing the linkages between the US-based teachers and their families here as well as with other teachers who were not able to leave the country but were already defrauded by PARS.

They will hold a press conference together with other victims of PARS in Cebu sometime next week.

PM challenges POEA, DOLE to act swiftly vs recruiter of teachers

Press Release
October 26, 2009

After the submission by more than 60 teachers of their statements detailing their miserable experiences with their recruiter, the party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) is challenging the POEA and the DOLE to act swiftly on their case.

A representative of the migrant teachers who are based in the state of Louisiana who has been working closely with PM has brought home a portfolio containing the complaints. The declarations were submitted to Labor Secretary Marianito Roque. The same documents are part of the evidences in the cases filed by the American Federation of Teachers in behalf of the Filipino teachers against the recruiting agency.

The subjects of the teachers’ complaints are the US-based Universal Placement International (UPI) and its local partner PARS International Placement Agency. Both companies are owned by Lourdes “Lulu” Navarro who is based in the US, and her brother Emilio “Mel” Villarba is the one who runs the local operations.

“POEA has knowledge of the exploitative practices of PARS and UPI long before. Feedbacks from the victims were already coming out since last year; several individual cases were filed against PARS by teachers who paid but where never able to fly to the US earlier this year; further we have informed our embassy in the US about the hundreds of teachers that are being recruited in a manner that borders on human trafficking. So we are appalled that no swift action was undertaken to look seriously into this issue,” asserted Renato Magtubo, PM Chairperson.

Magtubo is reacting to news reports recently where POEA chief Jennifer Manalili said that they will look into the complaints against UPI, which is based in California.

“A central mandate of the POEA is the protection of migrant workers. We challenge the POEA to walk their talk and bring an immediate stop to these exploitative practices of recruitment agencies particularly of those involved in this case. It is not only the US-based UPI who is the perpetrator of this injustice but also PARS which acts as its front here in the Philippines,” Magtubo further said.

PM through its Liaison Officer in the US also reports that more teachers are now coming out to join the complaints filed against PARS and UPI. Some of them are not even employed until now despite paying the recruiters an average of $15,000 each.

"Again, we reiterate our call for the immediate delisting of PARS International Placement Agency. This recruiter is a scourge to the workers and should be stopped from victimizing more Filipinos. PM further demands that POEA institute mechanisms for transparency such as the online publication of the track record of placement agencies, their violations, complaints filed against them and actual feedback from workers placed,” added Magtubo.

In the POEA registry that is available online, PARS is located at Suite 407 J&F Divino Arcade, 961 Aurora Blvd. Cubao, QC.