Taipei, Sept. 22 (CNA) The head of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei has expressed the hope that there will be more direct hiring of Filipino migrant workers in Taiwan to spare the workers the burden of hefty brokerage fees.
In an interview with CNA earlier this week, MECO Chairman and Resident Representative Angelito Banayo said progress has been made over the past years in lowering brokerage fees for migrant workers, “but more can be done.”
He pointed out that Taiwanese recruitment agencies sometimes collaborate with Filipino brokers to charge workers hidden fees. Workers may also borrow money from the recruitment agencies to pay for the fees and are charged high interest rates, he said.
“Those are things that have to be cracked down on,” said Banayo, whose office is the Philippines’ de facto embassy in Taiwan.