By: Romeo Braceros Jr.

As part of the national government's initiatives to obstruct illegal operations at the barangay level, municipalities in Bohol are getting ready to launch an information and surveillance campaign against illegal recruiting and human trafficking.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the Overseas Workers and Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Provincial Government of Bohol, and local government units signed a memorandum of agreement on Monday to implement the stepped-up campaign against illegal recruitment, according to Mayor Dave Duallo of Buenavista, president of the League of Municipalities (Bohol).

There have been allegations of illegal recruitment in barangays across the province, particularly in rural regions, prompting the expansion of measures against unlawful activity.

The Philippine National Police and other government organizations are expected to support the campaign.

When it does its year-end assessment in the coming weeks, the LMP intends to talk about the project with Col. Lorenzo Batuan, the recently appointed director of the Bohol Provincial Police Office.

According to Duallo, most respectable recruiters work with the LGUs and frequently shop in the town hall, while unlicensed ones often head straight to the barangays.

He added local chief executives have also been instructed to cascade the new instructions to barangay authorities.