MANILA – Senator Raffy Tulfo has raised concern over the increasing number of Filipinos falling victim to illegal recruitment, human trafficking, and online scams, warning that economic hardship is making job seekers more vulnerable to exploitation.

Speaking during a joint committee hearing on Thursday, April 30, Tulfo said many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) displaced by the crisis in the Middle East have returned home without stable income, making them easy targets for fraudulent job offers online.

He said desperate job seekers are being lured by online recruitment schemes, allowing illegal recruiters to expand trafficking operations.

Tulfo cited the case of three former OFWs in Malaysia who sought assistance from his office after allegedly being forced into sex work, despite being hired as massage therapists under their employment contracts.

The senator described the incident as “unacceptable” and called for stricter monitoring and coordination among government agencies, including the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Bureau of Immigration (BI), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.

He also urged the DMW to require certification from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for OFWs deployed in entertainment-related jobs to ensure proper qualifications and verified deployment arrangements.

Tulfo further pressed agencies, particularly the DMW and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), to pursue charges against illegal recruitment groups and bogus agencies.

“The government must hold perpetrators accountable and put an end to widespread illegal recruitment and human trafficking operations,” Tulfo stressed.