New visa rules half Filipino artists

New visa rules half Filipino artists

MANILA: The deployment of Filipino entertainers to Japan has fallen by almost 50 percent after Tokyo implemented tighter immigration rules, Philippine labor officials said on Thursday.

According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, only 2,771 Filipino entertainers left for Japan in March, or 48 percent lower from 5,372 in February.

The March deployment figure was also 59 percent lower than 6,787 in the same month last year.

Lorenzo Langomez, president of the Philippine Association of Recruitment Agencies Deploying Artists, said the decline was a result of the new immigration policy aimed at curbing human trafficking.

"Since the March 15 implementation of the new regulations, Filipino entertainers had been rejected in bulk even if they presented certificates of eligibility as required," he said.

Langomez urged Philippine officials to continue appeals for an easing of the new policy, which no longer recognizes certifications of foreign governments on applicants' qualifications.

Instead, Tokyo requires applicants to have at least two years of performance experience outside Japan before they could be allowed to work there.

At least 80,000 Filipinos apply to work as entertainers in Japan every year. -- DPA