MANILA, Philippines - As the global economic crisis left thousands jobless, Philippine recruiters are urging the government to give special visa benefits to overseas employers who could employ more than 50 Filipinos.

In a letter addressed to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the group of recruitment agencies is asking Malacañang to include overseas employers under Executive Order (EO) 758, or the Special Visa for Employment Generation (SVEG).

Under the said policy, a foreign immigrant who employs at least 10 Filipinos and invests at least P200 million would be allowed to stay indefinitely in the country among other visa benefits.

"If the government is willing to provide the SVEG to foreigners who will employ only 10 Filipinos…it should also grant a similar benefit and privilege to foreigners who, since 1974, have provided overseas employment to millions of Filipinos and … have helped generate billions of dollars in foreign exchange earnings," wrote the group’s leader, Loreto Soriano who concurrently heads the LBS E-Recruitment Solutions.

The group said such scheme would be a very attractive incentive for foreign employers
to retain Filipinos and even hire more in the coming years.

Recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani told GMANews.TV on Monday that such a proposal should be welcomed by the government to maintain the ‘marketability’ of Filipinos overseas.

"In our thinking, we are generating more employment. If you give them special privileges, they will keep coming back," Geslani said.

Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan earlier said EO 758 is timely to mitigate the negative impact of the economic meltdown on the Philippine economy.

The Bureau of Immigration would only issue the SVEG to a foreigner engaged in "viable and sustainable commercial enterprise, trade or industry" and must not be a risk to national security.

Foreigners with the said visa would be allowed multiple entry privileges and conditional extended stay, without need of prior departure from the Philippines. The same visa may also be extended to the visa applicant’s spouse and dependents under 18 years of age, whether legitimate, illegitimate, or adopted.

Malacañang hopes the new policy would lure more foreigners to invest in the Philippines and lower the unemployment rate in the country.

But militant group Migrante International slammed the EO and claimed that it would only validate the "semi-colonial set-up" existing in the country.

"…foreign corporations are given free reign to plunder and exploit our resources indefinitely, while our workers are nailed to deplorable working conditions and slave-like wages," said the group’s chairperson Garry Martinez.

Martinez also said that the policy would do little to solve the economic crisis in the country and put an end to the anticipated massive lay-offs of more Filipinos.

Data from the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) showed that the economic crisis has left more than 1, 423 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in four countries without jobs.

Taiwan had the highest reported number of laid-off workers with 1,263 based from the tally of DoLE and the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (Meco), Manila’s de-facto embassy in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, a total of 75 Filipinos were laid off in Australia’s shipbuilding industry. Of this number, 50 returned to the Philippines, 15 are still looking for jobs in Australia, while seven have been hired for different jobs.

Brunei laid off 69 Filipino garment factory workers, while 16 Filipino linemen from a United Kingdom service telecommunications company were also laid off. - Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV