00:00A recruitment agency in Pampanga was sued for using a tourist visa to those being deployed in America.
00:09The agency's response to JP Soriano's accusation?
00:15Jojo is a problematic person. He doesn't have a real name.
00:18After losing his job as an aircraft mechanic in an airline company in Qatar,
00:23he was able to find a job as an aircraft technician or aircraft mechanic in America on a messaging app.
00:30The promised salary is 3,000 US Dollars or more than 170,000 Pesos per month.
00:37He applied for it.
00:38Jojo immediately went to Aerostrategies Incorporated,
00:42which has an office in Dau, Mabalak, and Pampanga.
00:44But instead of using a work visa, he used a tourist visa or a B1-B2 visa.
00:49They said that he didn't need an OEC or Overseas Employment Contract from the Philippine government
00:57and didn't attend any pre-departure orientation seminar.
01:01When he arrived in America, Jojo and other Filipinos already worked as aircraft technicians
01:06using a tourist visa, which is also illegal in America.
01:11That's when they found out that their income per hour is smaller compared to other nations
01:18whose work is also the same as theirs.
01:20The employer promised them that after six months of validity of their U.S. tourist visa,
01:28they will apply for their working visa to legally extend their work in the U.S.
01:34I need to do something for my family.
01:38So I grabbed it, which is a good thing that it's in the contract.
01:43We will be given an essential visa, which is not valid.
01:48When Jojo and other Filipinos' tourist visas are about to expire,
01:52what are the reasons that the employer is blaming them for?
01:56Because they don't want to do PNP or hide-and-seek in America,
02:00Especially now that the U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policy is in danger.
02:07They were forced to return to the Philippines using their own money.
02:11They were exploited. They were sent there on a tourist visa, underpaid.
02:16And then of course, they were held until the point that they were promised a work visa,
02:22which did not arrive, and they were forced to return here.
02:24And here in the Philippines, their claims were gradually settled.
02:29I mean, these are all badges of exploitation of our workers.
02:36Earlier, the Department of Migrant Workers went to the recruiter who was being complained about and locked him up.
02:43We still have colleagues. There are still women in Texas, 15 of them.
02:47They don't have a job anymore. They were forced to leave.
02:50This is a badge of human trafficking because they are being exploited.
02:54They are sent there in the U.S. and made to work as aircraft technicians, aircraft mechanics,
03:06under a tourist visa requirement or scheme or arrangement,
03:11which makes it clearly illegal.
03:14The Aero Strategies Incorporated can deny their claims.
03:19There is no basis for the accusations that they did not comply with the operation and procedure of their company's business.
03:27They are also in the process of seeking assistance from the DMW and other authorities to quickly resolve this matter.
03:35Their priority is to protect the rights of their employees and the integrity of their operation.
03:43For GMA Integrated News, J.P. Soriano, for 24 Hours.
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