MANILA — Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac on Wednesday urged recruitment agency owners to improve labor migration standards and uphold strong governance traditions during the “Beyond Compliance: The Executive Guide to QMS ‘A QMS Onboarding’” event.

The program, held in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Inc. (PASEI), gathered 121 private recruitment agencies (PRAs) and licensed manpower agencies (LMAs).

“Don’t throw away this very, very strong tradition of migration governance. You are all part of that tradition. Walang cutting corners, walang bulsa ng kita to the detriment of OFW applicants or improvement of your facilities,” Cacdac said.

He stressed that the focus should be on producing skilled, law-abiding, and ethically recruited Filipino workers through safe and regular channels. Cacdac highlighted strict enforcement of the no-gift policy, zero tolerance for bribery, and continuous quality improvement, noting that 25 ISO programs have already been implemented with the support of inspectors, evaluators, and independent QMS consultants.

Cacdac added that for LMAs, quality management systems (QMS) are deeply rooted in culture, going beyond paperwork to embody the trust of the Filipino people and the global community. “Whatever we do here resonates abroad, nakakarating abroad at sa head of state,” he said.