The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has shut down an alleged illegal recruitment agency in Binondo, Manila, as part of intensified efforts to protect Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from fraud and exploitation.

The closure, carried out through the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau (MWPB), targeted MAXILUM Recruitment Agency, which was reportedly operating without a valid license.

Authorities said the agency, also known as Cell Venus Elite Workforce Manpower and Recruitment Agency Inc., offered overseas jobs in Japan, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia despite lacking approved job orders.

According to MWPB officials, applicants were enticed through social media with promises of factory and production jobs offering monthly salaries of up to ₱100,000 under three-year contracts.

Victims were allegedly required to pay placement and processing fees ranging from ₱35,000 to ₱72,500 through online channels, but were neither deployed nor properly processed for overseas employment. Officials warned that such schemes are commonly used by illegal recruiters to exploit job seekers.

Prior to the shutdown, the agency’s owner, Celisti Maxilum, was arrested in an entrapment operation on March 25, 2026, along with her foreign fiancé and two armed bodyguards. The operation was conducted in coordination with the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) and its anti-crime units.

The DMW said this marks the eighth illegal recruitment establishment shut down this year, as authorities continue nationwide enforcement. Officials also urged aspiring OFWs to verify licensed agencies and job orders through official DMW channels before applying and to report suspicious activities for legal assistance.