TABUK CITY, Kalinga, Philippines — A Chinese firm was fined by the regional Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for illegally employing foreign workers in the construction of the P4.3-billion Chico irrigation project in the province.

DOLE-Cordillera Administrative Region regional director Exequiel Ronnie Guzman also ordered the 25 Chinese workers to pay a fine of P10,000 each for illegally working in the country without permits.

China CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd, the contractor of the irrigation project, was ordered to pay a fine of P250,000 for illegally employing foreign workers.

Its 25 Chinese workers were ordered to secure an alien employment permit together with the P9,000 each filing fee.

“The hiring of foreign workers by contractors is not actually prohibited, provided that those hiring them comply with the primary requirement of securing their alien employment permit,” Guzman said.

Guzman noted the work of the Chinese workers in the project had been classified as highly technical as duly certified by the project management office of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

The Chinese workers were employed considering that even the tunnelling technology and units of equipment to be used in the project are not yet available in the country.

Guzman said the contractor of the Chico pump irrigation project is a state-owned construction company in China having actively participated in multibillion pesos worth of similar projects along the Agno river and Ilocos Sur over the past two decades.

Guzman said officials of China CAMC admitted their failure to secure the required permits before allowing the Chinese workers.

The CAMC blamed NIA for not informing them of the requirements. NIA had admitted there were at least 65 Chinese workers involved in the project.

Under existing policies, the labor department is mandated to issue alien employment permits to foreign workers doing highly technical jobs in the country for a maximum period of two years depending on the need of the contractors hiring the services of foreign workers.

Some of the Chinese workers were advised to apply for the issuance of their permits in Region II considering that their base of work is in Tuao, Cagayan, the major recipient of the irrigation project.