DMW shuts down Japanese language center in Davao over illegal recruitment
The center, Sincere Japanese Skills Academy, Inc., is the fourth JLC closed by the agency in just two weeks.
An investigation revealed that Sincere was offering language training programs alongside promises of jobs in Japan. It was found to be working with unlicensed and unauthorized recruitment groups such as the fake Advanced Ability Association (AAA), as well as one licensed agency.
According to testimonies from workers who sought help from the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Tokyo, they were charged between Php 3,000 to Php 50,000 for the training. They were also promised jobs as caregivers, food and beverage service crew, or airport ground staff after passing an exam.
The closure was carried out under DMW Closure Order No. 14, Series of 2025.
Sincere and its officials will be added to the DMW's List of Persons and Entities with a Derogatory Record. They are now facing charges related to illegal recruitment.
The DMW is urging other possible victims to come forward and contact the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau through their official Facebook page to receive free legal help and support.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Filipino Times
5 hours ago
- Filipino Times
DMW shuts down Manila-based recruitment agency and travel consultancy over illegal hiring for Poland
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has shut down two firms in Manila—Reiven Air Travel Tours & Consultancy and Reliable Recruitment Corporation—for allegedly engaging in illegal recruitment of Filipinos for jobs in Poland. Reiven Air, a non-DMW licensed travel consultancy, partnered with Reliable, a licensed recruitment agency with no job orders for Poland. Their tie-up allegedly created the false impression of a legal recruitment operation. DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia, who led the operation, explained that the scheme—known as the 'kabit system'—involves unlicensed firms using licensed agencies as fronts. Applicants were lured with promises of jobs like fruit pickers and factory workers, with salaries of up to ₱90,000, in exchange for a ₱70,000 one-time, non-refundable fee. The closure operation, done in coordination with the Manila Police District, also led to the arrest of suspected recruiters. Both firms will face legal consequences, including the revocation of Reliable's license and inclusion of staff in the DMW's Derogatory List, barring them from future recruitment activities. This marks the 16th closure by DMW this year under the directive of President Marcos Jr., who called for stronger action against illegal recruitment to protect OFWs.
Gulf Today
11-06-2025
- Gulf Today
Trump wants to 'liberate' Los Angeles, residents say 'no thanks'
US President Donald Trump says he sent in the National Guard and Marines to "liberate" Los Angeles from the violence of protesters, but some residents of Little Tokyo, a neighbourhood hit hardest by the unrest say "no thanks" Mr President. Los Angeles police began arresting people in the city's downtown late on Tuesday, as groups gathered in violation of an overnight curfew after a fifth day of protests against Trump's immigration crackdown. Looting and vandalism in the second-biggest US city have marred the largely peaceful protests over ramped-up arrests by immigration authorities. A dozen people who live, work or frequent the neighbourhood, where Japanese is heard spoken as frequently as English in shops and restaurants, on Tuesday told Reuters that Trump's use of the military was inflaming the protests against recent immigration raids in Los Angeles. "The president sending in the National Guard and Marines has only made things worse, it's made the protesters go crazy," said Sulieti Havili, who lives nearby and helps run a Pokemon club with over 6,000 members that routinely plays in Little Tokyo. "They are doing nothing to protect this community." California Highway Patrol officers detain protesters near the 101 freeway. AFP Havili, 25, who was out picking up trash in Little Tokyo with her Pokemon club partner Nolberto Aguilar, 42, said it was clear to her that Trump sending in thousands of military personnel had "brought out the worst in the protesters" and only served to aggravate the situation. Aguilar added that Trump's deployment of troops was thwarting the will of most Los Angeles citizens and local leaders, fanning the flames created by ICE immigration raids, that he said targeted law-abiding immigrants. The Trump administration says its immigration raids are rounding up de facto criminals for lacking proper documents to stay in the United States. California Highway Patrol officers detain protesters near the 101 freeway in Los Angeles. AFP California Governor Gavin Newsom has said the use of military personnel to combat the protests had "inflamed a combustible situation" and warned that "democracy is under assault." Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has said that Trump's use of troops was a deliberate effort to create "chaos." The Trump administration strongly rejects the accusations and says their actions were needed in the face of local and state leaders inability to get the situation under control. 'INSTIGATING' ACTION Little Tokyo, a charming neighborhood with shops selling Japanese goods and restaurants serving up some of the city's finest sushi, abuts the federal buildings where protesters have gathered for five nights in a row. For the past two nights, when police and National Guard troops have forcibly dispersed protesters in the early evening, demonstrators scatter into smaller groups into Little Tokyo, which has been covered with anti-ICE and anti-Trump graffiti. A protester is arrested by California Highway Patrol near the federal building in downtown Los Angeles. AP Running skirmishes well into the night in the neighborhood has seen police use booming flash-bangs and firing other "less lethal" munitions at protesters. Several of those interviewed in Little Tokyo asked that they not be named, saying they feared reprisals - from the federal government. Many were immigrants themselves or had family members who were not born in the US, and feared making themselves or their loved ones targets of ICE. One of those was Anthony, who works at a tea shop in the neighbourhood. "There is no question that the president sending in thousands of National Guard and 700 Marines has done nothing but make the protesters more aggressive," he said. "It's instigating the protesters and making things worse." Samantha Lopez, a descendent of Filipino immigrants who works at a Korean ice cream parlor in Little Tokyo, said she felt empathy for the demonstrators but rejected any acts of vandalism or violence they carry out. Still, she blamed the use of military personnel for creating the unrest. "It's just poor handling of protests that stay peaceful until they're confronted by officers," Lopez said. "It's bad for business, and it's bad for this neighbourhood." Reuters
Filipino Times
30-05-2025
- Filipino Times
DMW shuts down Japanese language center in Davao over illegal recruitment
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has ordered the closure of another Japanese language center (JLC) in Davao City due to illegal recruitment activities. The center, Sincere Japanese Skills Academy, Inc., is the fourth JLC closed by the agency in just two weeks. An investigation revealed that Sincere was offering language training programs alongside promises of jobs in Japan. It was found to be working with unlicensed and unauthorized recruitment groups such as the fake Advanced Ability Association (AAA), as well as one licensed agency. According to testimonies from workers who sought help from the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Tokyo, they were charged between Php 3,000 to Php 50,000 for the training. They were also promised jobs as caregivers, food and beverage service crew, or airport ground staff after passing an exam. The closure was carried out under DMW Closure Order No. 14, Series of 2025. Sincere and its officials will be added to the DMW's List of Persons and Entities with a Derogatory Record. They are now facing charges related to illegal recruitment. The DMW is urging other possible victims to come forward and contact the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau through their official Facebook page to receive free legal help and support.
