Obligation to Provide Return Passage to Laborers
- Companies or entities engaged in labor contracting must provide free passage back to the Philippines for laborers upon contract expiration.
- This obligation applies if laborers complied with contract terms or have become physically unfit for work.
Licensing Requirement for Labor Contractors
- Labor contractors must obtain an annual license from the Director of the Bureau of Labor, approved by the Secretary of Commerce and Police.
- License specifies the province(s) where the labor contracting activity will be conducted.
- License fee set at six thousand pesos annually, payable to the Insular Treasury.
Appointment and Duties of Overseas Commissioner(s)
- Governor-General appoints commissioner(s) with Commission’s consent for service outside the Philippines.
- Commissioners receive and hear complaints of Filipino laborers abroad, mediate disputes, ensure contract compliance, and protect laborers’ interests.
- Must submit reports on laborers’ conditions to the Governor-General.
- Compensation and expenses capped at six thousand pesos annually.
Supervision of Labor Contracts and Protection of Minors
- Director of Labor supervises all labor contracts.
- Prohibition on contracting minors below 15 years.
- Minors aged 15 to 18 require written parental or guardian consent for contracting.
Penalties for Violations
- Violators subject to a fine not exceeding two thousand pesos, imprisonment up to two years, or both, as decided by the court.
Amendment to Act No. 2339 on Customhouse Brokers
- Subsection (a) of Section 53 of Act No. 2339 amended to impose an eighty peso fee on customhouse brokers.
Effectivity Clause
- The Act takes effect thirty days after its passage.