Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has filed charges against 19 manning agencies, 16 of which are with valid license for conducting recruitment activities at Luneta Seafarer's Center near the National Library in T.M. Kalaw street in Manila despite a government ban.

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has filed charges against 19 manning agencies, 16 of which are with valid license for conducting recruitment activities at Luneta Seafarer's Center near the National Library in T.M. Kalaw street in Manila despite a government ban.

Hans Leo Cacdac, POEA administrator said that POEA has teamed up with -Transnational Crime Division of PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) to investigate the illegal recruitment happening in Luneta.

The POEA-PNP has found out 16 legal recruiters and 3 recruiters without POEA licensed such as Seaboard Maritime, Hanjin Shipping and Morning Mist Maritime Services have no authority to recruit or deploy Flipino seaman.

Meanwhile, other manning agencies that were caught recruiting in Luneta are:

1.    Korpil Shipmanagement and Manning Corporation

2.    Wallem Maritime Services Inc.,

3.    Avantgarde Shipping Corporation

4.    Univan Management Services Phils Inc.

5.    Century Maritime Agencies Inc.

6.    Solpia Marine and Ship Management Inc.

7.    Great Swiss Maritime Services Inc.

8.    Intercrew Philippines Agency Inc.,

9.    Epsilon Maritime Services Inc.

10. C-Man Maritime Inc.

11. Trans-Global Maritime Agency Inc.

12. Cardiff Crewing Filipinas Inc.

13. International Ship Crew Management Phils Inc.

14. Michaelmar Phils Inc.

15. Evic Human Resource Management Inc.

16. Seafarers Shipping Inc.

Cacdac insists that all recruitment activities should be done inside the office of agencies and not in public places.

"All recruitment activities outside the registered offices of a licensed recruitment or manning agency are deemed illegal without the special recruitment authority (SRA) issued by the POEA," said Cacdac.

He added that recruitment agencies should have Special Reccruitment Authority to conduct recruitment activities outside their offices. Issuance of SRA to manning agencies were stopped since May 2009 and ordered those occupying booths at the Luneta Seafarers’ Center to end their recruitment activities or face administrative sanctions.