THE Department of Justice’s on Thursday called on Filipinos pursuing work abroad to follow the proper recruitment process to avoid similar cases as pardoned drug convict Mary Jane F. Veloso.
“The government’s goal is to make sure you do not become vulnerable when you travel. Because if you do not go through the proper recruitment process, that is where you will end up as an undocumented migrant worker. That means you don’t have a specific employer,” Justice Secretary Fredderick A. Vida said in a press briefing in Filipino.
“Promises are not guaranteed: promises from a friend, promises from a cousin, promises from someone else. That’s not a guarantee. That’s why our government, your government, through the Department of Migrant Workers, our DoLE (Department of Labor and Employment), is working hard to fix all the processes,” he added.
In the same briefing, Ms. Veloso called on those who wish to work abroad to go through the proper legal processes and to not be lured by the perks of visa-free travel.
“There is nothing wrong with dreaming. There is nothing wrong with wanting to lift our families out of poverty. But if I were you, it would be better if we went through the legal process. Let’s not let ourselves be tempted because there is a free visa, when people say that with a free visa, it is easy to find a job, we can leave quickly,” Ms. Veloso told reporters in Filipino.
Ms. Veloso was granted a pardon by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Sept. 25 after serving a prison sentence in the country since 2024 following a temporary reprieve from execution in Indonesia in 2015 on drug trafficking charges. — Marron Joshua F. Mendoza