Numerous Filipinos in Canada were scammed by a Vancouver-based recruitment firm after paying countless dollars for supposed tasks but were never employed, according to reports.
CBC News Canada and ABS-CBN News reported that The Promise Land Consultancy, owned by Filipino-Canadian Joseph Miranda alias Joseph Powers, supposedly guaranteed tasks in Canada to Filipinos in the Philippines and abroad.
Victims included Marilyn Fernandez Rabadon, a public high school head instructor in Pangasinan, and Marivic Sumawang Pingaron, a caregiver in Tel Aviv.
Rabadon and Pingaron remembered that they were recruited and encouraged by TPLC agents to sign an agreement stating that they would pay the firm up to C$ 12,000 (P496,000) to secure jobs.
They each made a down payment of the equivalent of P150,000 in Canadian dollars.
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Pingaron, who's using on behalf of her kid, stated she paid TPLC over C$ 8,000 (P332,000) in two installations. Rabadon, on the other hand, refused to pay more than her initial deposit of C$ 4,000 (P166,000).
According to Rabadon, the contract specified that the payment would be refunded if she didn't get a task deal within five months.
"Ang lakas ng loob ko na magbigay ng ano kasi anyhow after five months, mare-refund ko naman," she is estimated as saying.
They required a refund when no job uses emerged.
Pingaron became suspicious and requested a refund when TPLC told her that to get her boy's Labor Market Impact Assessment, a file that a Canadian company might need from foreign employees before hiring them, she would need to make a 2nd payment.
"Wala po ni piso akong na-refund," Pingaron stated.
"Ken," another victim, informed the media outlet that Miranda prompted him to go to Canada as a tourist before working for TPLC while waiting for his papers.
Ken said he consulted with 14 Filipino travelers whom TPLC had also worked with. A substantial chunk of their income as expected TPLC employees went back to the business for their retainer costs.
"Ilan po sa amin, mga apat po ata kami, binigyan po niya kami ng task offer na it ends up hindi naman pala legitimate," Ken stated. (Under Canadian laws, travelers can not operate in the nation or else they 'd face deportation.)
Ken stated other TPLC candidates paid the company with their life cost savings. Others also took loans.
They attempted to get a refund from TPLC, and when they could not, they sought the aid of the Migrant Workers Center and submitted charges before the Small Claims Court of British Columbia.
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Rozana Solita, a migration consultant and former TPLC worker, stated she was shocked that the business immediately employed her upon applying in March 2024.
Solita, who gave up from TPLC after a month, said many applicants were asking her when they would receive task deals. She likewise expressed issue when TPLC supposedly charged candidates a downpayment varying from C$ 2,500 to C$ 3,500 (P103,000 to P145,000).
Applicants were likewise supposedly asked to sign a contract that had a breakdown of costs and immigration services. The procedure, nevertheless, only required submitting a resume, according to Solita.
Solita stated she also saw 400 applicant folders going back to 2023. Even with a "conservative" estimate, she kept in mind that TPLC charged at least C$ 2 million (P83 million) to more than 150 individuals, and gathered at least C$ 500,000. She told CBC News that she thinks she was hired as a "front to make themselves look genuine."
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Lawsuits
Ken and his companions filed cases against TPLC before the Employment Standards Branch for unreasonable wages. They likewise submitted cases before the Canada Border Services Agency and the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants.
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Criminal cases against Miranda, on the other hand, include fraud, using without a license, and prohibited recruitment of foreign nationals.
In a statement, the CBSA stated it "thoroughly evaluates all problems of criminal activity that may constitute an offense under the Customs Act or the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, consisting of those related to Labour Market Impact Assessment fraud."
"When we end up being conscious of situations where there are possible violation of these acts, we investigate and take the suitable action," it included.
The CBSA also asked victims to file grievances online through CBSA Border Watch.
According to ABS-CBN News, the TPLC workplace in Vancouver has currently been closed.
The business also has a new social networks page called "PLC Global Solutions," which likewise recruits hopefuls to operate in various countries. The page also has a new address for TPLC in California.
Ken said the Migrant Workers Office in Vancouver provided their group a money help of 1,500 Canadian dollars (P62,000).
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TAGS: work CANADA OFW fraud Overseas Filipino Workers The Promise Land Consultancy Joseph Miranda
NICK GARCIA
Nick blogs about politics, law, health, entertainment, and pop culture, to name a few. Outside work, he's a wannabe musician and cook. Email him at nick@philstarlife.com.
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Hundreds of Filipinos Paid Countless Dollars to Canada Recruitment Agency In Job Scam-reports
stantonkingsbu edited this page 2025-07-05 00:10:05 +08:00