Outgoing Department of Labor
and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz urged President-elect Rodrigo
Duterte to consider imposing death penalty to those involved in illegal
recruitment activities victimizing aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
She noted such activities
should be regarded as an organized or heinous crime for duping would-be
overseas workers.
“Right now, the law already
provides the highest penalty of life imprisonment since it is considered as
economic sabotage. So considering illegal recruitment for death penalty could
be considered,” Baldoz said.
Rule IV, Section 5 of
Republic Act No. 10022 provides that the penalty of life imprisonment shall be
imposed if illegal recruitment constitutes economic sabotage, wherein a
syndicate or a group of three persons or more conspired to commit the activity.
The incoming Chief Executive
is bent on restoring the capital punishment for heinous crimes as soon as he
assumes his office on June 30.
Duterte said the death
penalty should be considered for criminals involved in illegal drugs,
gun-for-hire syndicates, and in “heinous crimes” like rape, robbery with
murder.
Under the law, illegal recruitment
is defined as any act of canvassing, enlisting, contracting, transporting,
utilizing, hiring, or procuring workers for employment abroad when undertaken
by non-licensee or non-holder of authority.
The Philippine Overseas
Employment Administration (POEA) said there are about 400 to 500 cases of
illegal recruitment being reported annually. (PNA)
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