MANILA — Philippine authorities shut down a Manila-based company accused of illegal recruitment after it lured job seekers with promises of low-cost training for overseas hotel positions, only to demand hundreds of thousands of pesos in additional fees, the Department of Migrant Workers said Monday.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac announced the closure of Buenas Hotel Services in Malate, Manila, following surveillance that revealed the firm was operating without a license and deceiving applicants.
“The findings of our surveillance operatives indicate that recruitment is being conducted without a license and, worse, applicants are being deceived and charged exorbitant fees,” Cacdac said.
He described the company’s scheme: Applicants were initially charged a relatively modest fee of about 4,500 pesos ($75) for purported skills training in areas such as guest relations and front desk operations. After completing the training, victims were then required to pay up to 350,000 pesos total — including 80,000 pesos for processing and 250,000 pesos for placement — in exchange for promised hotel jobs abroad.
Cacdac emphasized that demanding such high fees in return for overseas employment, even if applicants are referred to other agencies, constitutes illegal recruitment requiring a valid license.
Investigators found Buenas Hotel Services was referring applicants to several licensed private recruitment agencies, including ALJU Recruitment Agency, which was placed under preventive suspension in November after complaints from hundreds of alleged victims.
Two complainants have come forward to the department, reporting they each paid as much as 250,000 pesos but were never deployed overseas. “The complainants never got to be deployed. Nothing materialized,” Cacdac said.
He noted the company’s owner was caught on surveillance offering a job to an undercover operative and that charges will be filed with the Department of Justice.
While only two victims have surfaced so far, Cacdac said more may emerge, potentially elevating the case to large-scale illegal recruitment. Affected individuals are receiving assistance through the department’s Aksyon Fund.
Authorities urged potential additional victims to contact the DMW hotline at 1348 or the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau.
“There’s a high probability that there are other victims. Just come to us,” Cacdac said.
The closure is part of an intensified government campaign against illegal recruitment, with the department reporting it doubled enforcement actions in 2025 and plans further expansion in 2026.
