This was announced by Vice President Jejomar Binay, presidential adviser for OFWs' concerns, who is expected to lead the task force that has been headed also by the Vice President of previous administrations.

"We are just waiting for the release of the executive order creating the task force," Binay said in a press conference held at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in Pasay City last Tuesday.

The EO drafted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) had already sought the comments of the OVP, Binay said.

"The EO is in accordance with Republic Act 10022 which calls for the protection of our OFWs," Binay said.

Unlike in the previous administrations, the super body against illegal recruitment will have a secretariat, he said.

The task force will have no police power because it would only act as coordinator among concerned government agencies such as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), DoLE, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration (OWWA), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), among others.

"I expect to be the coordinator of the efforts of the agencies composing the task force," Binay said.

Binay added that the problem of illegal recruitment had branched out to other problems such as drug trafficking, as he noted that OFWs victimized by international drug syndicates are those who were duped by illegal recruiters.

JC Bello Ruiz, Manila Bulletin