FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
First Regular Session 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Introduced by Senator Villar 
Explanatory Note 
This bill is submitted under the aegis of Parens Patriae. Under the doctrine, the 
government's full intervention is needed when the health, comfort and welfare of the 
people are threatened. 
This universal policy of the State, serving as parents of its 
citizens, act to champion the rights of the underprivileged. 
In this legislation, the 
doctrine is applied to the best interest of one of the most deprived sectors of the 
population, the underage migrant workers. 
Very recently, a number of minor OFWs from Jordan are repatriated. 
Their 
hardships are tales of combined abuse and the corrupted system. Underage Filipino 
children are being recrnited to work overseas and they make extra-ordinary sacrifices to 
support their families. 
these minor OFWs are ixapped in 
situations of forced labor or have been trafficked into forced domestic work in conditions 
akin to slavery. 
In the worst situations, 
The lax implementation of the country's immigration laws compromises the 
security of our migrant workers and pushes them to the verge of a sorry fate. A number 
of recruiters and placement agencies have turned a blind eye in enforcing regulations as 
to the point of deploying minor OFWs. 
The facts as regards the illegal recruitment of underage OFWs are well- 
documented. It is vile. It is one of the worst forms of child abuse. This legislation is 
submitted to solve the concern: 
Arbitrary it may be argued, but it is to the best interest of all people, to 
the victim minor OFWs in particular, that the license of a recruitment or 
placement agency which deployed an underage migrant worker be 
automatically revoked. 
All fees paid anent the processing of documents and dossiers required in 
recruitment or deployment of a minor OFW shall be refunded in full, 
without need of notice. 
The refund shall he in addition to the 
indemnification or damages sustained by the underage migrant worker. 
Immediate enactment of this bill is earnestly requested. 


FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
First Regular Session 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Introduced by Senator Villar 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR THE AUTOMATIC REVOCATION OR CANCELLATION 
OF THE LICENSE OF A PLACEMENT OR RECRUITMENT AGENCY WHICH 
RECRUITED OR DEPLOYED AN UNDERAGE MIGRANT WORKER AND 
THE MANDATORY REFUND OF ALL FEES PAID BY REPATRIATED MINOR 
OFWs, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE PERTINENT PROVISIONS OF 
REPUBLIC ACT NUMBER 8042, OTHERWISE K N O W  AS THE ‘‘MIGRANT 
WORKERS AND OVERSEAS FILIPINO ACT OF 1995” 
Be it enacted bv the Senate and House of Representatives in Connress of the 
Philippines assembled: 
SECTION 1. Section 16 of Republic Act No. 8042, othemise known as the 
Migrant Workers Act of 1995 is hereby amended to read as follows: 
“SEC. 16. 
MANDATORY REPATRIATION OF UNDERAGE 
MIGRANT WORKERS. - Upon discovery or being informed of the presence of 
migrant workers whose actual ages fall below the minimum wage requirement for 
overseas deployment, the responsible officers in the foreign service shall without 
delay repatriate said workers and advise the Department of Foreign Affairs 
through the fastest means of communication available of such discovery and other 
relevant information. 
THE 
LICENSE 
OF 
RECRUITMENT 
OR 
PLACEMENT 
AGENCIES WHICH RECRUITED OR DEPLOYED AN UNDERAGE 
MIGRANT WORKER SHALL BE AUTOMATICALLY REVOKED. 
ALL FEES PAID RELEVANT TO THE PROCESSING OF PAPERS 
OR DOCUMENTS RELEVANT TO THE RECRUITMENT 
OR 
DEPLOYMENT SHALL BE REFUNDED IN FULL, WITHOUT NEED OF 
NOTICE, 
TO THE UNDERAGE MIGRANT WORKER OR TO HIS 
PARENTS OR GUARDIAN. 
THE REFUND SHALL BE INDEPENDENT 
AND IN ADDITION TO THE INDEMNIFICATION AND DAMAGES 
SUSTAINED BY THE UNDERAGE MIGRANT WORKER. 
THE 


REFUND SHALL BE PAID WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS FROM THE 
DATE OF THE MANDATORY REPATRIATION AS PROVIDED IN THIS 
ACT.” 
SECTION 2. 
Within fifteen days after the enactment of this Act, the 
Department of Labor and Employment shall issue the necessary rules and regulations to 
implement the provisions of this Act. 
SECTION3. 
This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete 
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation, 
whichever is earlier. 
Approved,