Filipino workers here and abroad strongly oppose the Philippine government’s new policy on direct hiring and they demand its immediate scrapping, particularly the requirement on foreign employers to post a repatriation bond of $5,000 plus $3,000 performance bond in hiring an employee from the Philippines.

Under the new policy, employers cannot give high salaries because they have to shoulder $8,000 worth of bonds.
The tendency is employers would instead get workers from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and form other labor-sending countries...

Love your passion Kitty. You are a great employer!

The issue of mistreating maids has prompted a Saudi-based advertising agency to launch a public service TV campaign aimed at decreasing the abuse. The ads, shown on several pan-Arab satellite TV stations, feature reenactments of employers verbally abusing their maids...Manila should take a stand NOW!

A 17-year-old from the Philippines claims her employer and his son raped her. She went into hiding last month and agreed to speak to The Associated Press on condition her name not be used nor her hiding place revealed because she feared arrest after her employer reported her to police as a runaway.The teenager said she came to Jordan five months ago to help her poor parents. To comply with a Jordanian law requiring workers to be at least 18, she said she used a fake passport saying she was 28.

RAIN and BOLDSTAR thinks that crimes can be committed to those that carry fake passports... Dala ng gutom po kaya kami ganito!

Jordan, like other Middle East countries, offers little legal protection for foreign workers, forcing governments like that of the Philippines to operate shelters. Many of the victims are women who accuse their employers of beating them, refusing to pay wages and forcing them to convert to Islam.

"I was ironing when madam snatched a hot iron from my hand and branded my arm," said Francis, 30, a shelter occupant who fled her Jordanian employer's home six months ago. She refused to give her last name, saying she did not want to worry her family in the Philippines!

BOYCOTT FEDEX!

Migrante International chairperson Gary Martinez recalled that the problem of physical abuse being inflicted on OFWs in Jordan used to be so grave that Filipinos used to assume that workers who do not have a broken leg do not belong to the Filipino community in Jordan...I am sorry to say but I find these Indian Labor more dignified than Filipio men who have no guts but to sit at home…..and drink and drink and let their wives work for other families and for other men.

This is one side of Kitty Go I've never seen.

Good Work D.V.!

"dala ng gutom po kaya ganito"

O please. Maybe I could understand stealing bread because you are hungry. But declaring yourself to be 28 when you are only 17 because you are hungry is something else entirely. Its a refusal to acknowlege that these rules are put in for your own safety.

Tigas ng ulo ninyo e.

It is rather sad but inevitable in a culture of corruption where hunger has no morals.

Kitty is truly lovely! Hindi ako maid pero mahal ko na siya LOL!

Now this all makes sense to me.

currently in Australia the economic downturn has created unemployment to those who are guest workers granted with 457 visa's.

Some have gone TNT after 28 days required for them to leave Australia.

One of the reason for them hiding was that they owed money in the Philippines which could be up to 500 thousand pesos for each worker.

This really never made sense to me because I called my friend from the Immigration department and she said thats not true and maybe the worker got conned. All expenses such as tickets etc are shouldered by the employers including health insurance when they arrive.

It ALL make sense now because of these government agency fees, that are nothing more than pimping charges to people already struggling to make a living.

wow instead of making it easier for people they are creating more pain and suffering.

Yep, it's a good thing the kid got raped-- that should teach her a lesson.

Kitty I love this! Hehe...

Thanks for sharing how you bitched up those employers. I myself is a nurse and am planning to go abroad and placement agencies are really milking out a lot of money from people aspiring to have better lives outside the Philippines.

I remember a controversy one time that involved a certain Philippine recruiting agency which WAS a partner of Finnish company that hire nurses in the Philippines. This Finnish company found out that their partner is milking out "placement" fees from applicants. And what dayaknow? The Finnish company canceled the partnership to this malicious recruitment agency! Great.

Maybe it's time to abolish recruitment agencies? Tok-tok lang po sa Senado at Congreso! These are the real issues they should discuss instead of dancing with Cha cha. :-)

shame to the Government!
They are always good for nothing!!!

as a Filipino living abroad, I know I dont have any security and confidence to my goverment!

Shame!!!

i love you gabriela silang, err, kitty go pala!

Keep writing, I love to read your works.
take care always

keep up your expose.

In the Philippines there is no law that protects domestic helpers – the Domestic Helper Law (House Bill 2311), is pending in Congress. The proposed law requires helpers to have an employment contract with 13 months pay, and maternity and paternity leave for women and men, among other provisions. Some employers, however, are kind and offer their helpers Sundays as rest days, days to attend school, and other allowances. In the Philippines there is a common agreement that helpers should receive a monthly salary of 3,000 pesos and 1,500 pesos for working in urban and rural areas respectively. A domestic helper would be lucky if given a Social Security contribution, paid hospital bills in case of sickness or health insurance covered by their employers.

Filipino domestic helpers account for more than 50% of the total landbased migrant workers exported by the Philippines annually. Interviews were conducted among domestic helpers in Hongkong to determine what factors contribute to their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. They were asked questions about employment conditions, social networking, relationships, access to health services, and changes in their perceptions and behavior while abroad.

RESULTS: Filipina domestic helpers admit a change of lifestyles while abroad. They are freer to get into short, casual relationships while abroad.

They are freer to get into short, casual relationships while abroad. Despite some knowledge about HIV/AIDS, condom usage remains low due to misconceptions about condom use.

In addition, there is a misconception that Filipinos are less vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and so for as long the relationships are between Filipinos, risk of getting HIV/AIDS is low. These factors, added to the fact that domestic work is unprotected and women are likely to be abused by their employers, contribute to the vulnerability of Filipina domestic helpers to HIV/AIDS.

There is a need to strengthen information programs among Filipina domestic helpers with regard to HIV/AIDS, toward influencing a change in their sexual behaviors.

I can understand that (NON-CORRUPT) placement agencies have a place in the labor market. What I don't understand is why it seems as if the Philippine government throws up so many roadblocks against direct-hire.

Putang ina, a teacher in the US makes only about USD35,000 to USD60,000 a year, before taxes. And remember than although you earn in dollars, you also SPEND in dollars, so $60K doesn't go a very long way. If the applicant needs to spend half a million pesos that's over $10K. Eh di ang tagal bago nila mabayaran yon.

What the government should do:

1) Keep on HONESTLY regulating the placement agencies that do actual work to match employers with applicants.

2) Start a massive and on-going education campaign to let aspiring OFWs know how to spot shady employers and shady agencies, and to educate them about their rights in the Philippines and abroad.

3) Completely liberalize the direct-hire market. Our word of the day: DISINTERMEDIATION. Cut out the blood-sucking middlemen called placement agencies kung meron naman employer (like Kitty) who wants to hire direct. This will make the labor market more efficient. If I want to hire a software engineer from the Philippines to work here in CA, you can be damned sure na hindi ako dadaan sa mga putang agency na yan.

The whole OWWA (or whatever the fuck it's called these days) and placement agency infrastructure is just there to allow a few fat cats and kurakot government officials to get rich off the backs of the OFWs. Wala namang silbe besides repatriation kapag may gulo, like in the Middle East. And often kahit yun lang pahirapan pa.

Gawd, this makes me so angry. Talagang karamihan ng government bureaucrats and OFW agencies should be shot because they're just evil leeches who bleed society dry.

Dignity and Respect for the Filipino Worker
8 Signatures

FROM BOYS NIGHT OUT

Description/History:
There is now a significant Filipino population in the United Kingdom. Over the past twenty years, the number of Filipinos living and working in the UK has increased by more than 833% from roughly 18,000 in 1986 to more than 150,000 by 2006. Of this number, about 70% live in Greater London area.

The Filipino community works in a variety of sectors, ranging from IT, aviation, education, hospitality sector (hotels, restaurants and casinos) and healthcare, chefs, and house managers. Increasingly, Filipinos have been recruited to the UK in significant numbers. Over the past five years, thousands have been recruited for the hospitality and healthcare sectors.

Perhaps the Filipino community is best known for the contribution it makes to the healthcare sector. Filipino nurses are consistently recognized for their high standards of professionalism. In the past eight years, more than 45,000 Filipinos were recruited into the health service, most of whom are nurses serving in the National Health Service while the remainder are working in the independent healthcare sector – mostly in private nursing homes.

Equally well received are the thousands of domestic workers who are housekeepers, cleaners and nannies. They are often employed by the members of the British establishment. Young professional women entrust their children to be looked after by Filipina nannies. Filipino domestic workers are well known to be hard-working, trustworthy and responsible.

Almost all of these domestic helpers are well educated with most of them having a degree-qualification as their background. Hence their high-demand as preferred employees by various sectors of the international society living in London.

A survey conducted amongst a limited sample of Filipinos living in the UK at present yielded some interesting findings:

65% of Filipinos are nurses and/or in the allied medical fields.
More than 10% are in domestic service.
A growing number of entrepreneurs of about 5%.
10-20% of the second-generation youths has gone to university or are still finishing university courses. Some of them have also become known as 'celebrities' due to their high profiles as models, actresses or musician

guys please print this-

Affidavit Details of Horrific Abuse & Rape of Virgin Filipina

AFFIDAVIT
Sometime in April 2005, my father suffered a second stroke and was unable to work since then. I wanted to be able to work in Oman in order to care and provide for my parents as I did not want them to return to the Philippines. This prompted me to seek for any job placement for Oman.Sometime in May 2005, I read Jinhel International Recruitment Agency’s (hereinafter, “Jinhel”) Manila Bulletin advertisement for job placements in countries in the Middle East. I immediately placed a call in the telephone number contained in the ad.

After one week, I went to Jinhel’s office and paid P3,000.00 for my medical exam.I was assured of a job placement in Qatar so I decided to resign from my work as Guidance Counselor in Systems Plus Computer College in Caloocan City.I went L-R Medical & X-ray Clinic. I paid P2,730.00. Then Jinhel called in March 2006. I was told to prepare as I was sure to be sent for work in Qatar. I paid Jinhel Five Thousand Pesos (P5,000.00) to Haja Fatima as payment, she said, for her services.

Jinhel and I agreed on the following terms of my employment in Qatar: monthly salary of QD700; work is to take care of a five (5)-year old child; the first two (2) months’ salary will go to Jinhel as its commission.

At the airport, iside the immigration, we were asked to pay One Thousand Five Hundred Pesos each (P1,500.00) each, unreceipted. We were previously advised by Nelia to prepare the said amount.

I arrived in Qatar on June 8, 2006. At the airport, I was met by Faruq, a Pakistani National who introduced himself to be from Al Waleed Agency – Jinhel’s Qatari counterpart agency. Faruq asked me to sign a contract with the following terms: monthly salary of QR600; work is all-around with no day-off.

Mr. Faruq brought me to my employer, Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Jumiah (hereinafter, “Dr. Abdul Aziz”). I came to know that Dr. Abdul Aziz is a Saudi National and a surgeon at the AL Ramelah Hamad Hospital. His wife was then pregnant and they had a five (5)-year old son.

My employers’ house is located inside a gated subdivision. It is a two-storey, six-bedroom house with five comfort rooms and a garden. I worked from 5:00 in the morning until about 1:00 or 2:00 the next morning as I was not allowed to sleep while my employers’ child was up. And since the child was asleep most of the time during the day, he usually went to bed past midnight.

Within a week’s time, Mrs. Abdul Aziz (I only know her as Madam Dina) started to maltreat me. Mrs. Abdul Aziz was very strict and very sensitive to dirt. Whenever she was not satisfied with my cleaning, she would pull my hair and would order to do the cleaning all over again. The house had big windows that I had to climb each time.

One time, I unintentionally overcooked the bread I was cooking. For this, she slapped me.On the second or third week, my ward, Faisal, hit me with the telephone apparatus.
One time, they brought me along to a mall. At the mall, a fellow Filipina saw the “bukol” in my head. She gave me telephone numbers at the Philippine Embassy and OWWA’s, should I decide to run away from my employers.

Sometime in June (after about 2 week-stay in Qatar), I called the Philippine Embassy and I was able to talk to one Mr. Jack. I told him about my situation but, in return, he coldly told me: ”Hindi pa naman grabe ang nangyayari sa yo. Tapusin mo na yang 2 years mo.” He also gave me Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s (OWWA) telephone number.

In the last week of June, I called OWWA and talked to one Mr. Sam to whom I repeated my story. He told me: “Tumakas ka na kung ayaw mo na. Lumabas ka at sumakay sa taxi.”
On 14 September 2006, I was at the kitchen while Madam Dina was upstairs taking a bath, when Dr. Abdul Aziz arrived from the office. He suddenly embraced me and touched my breasts. I pushed him and told him that I would report to his wife. He just gave me a devil’s grin. When Madam Dina came down, I told her about what her husband did to me. But Madam Dina slapped me and blamed me for what had happened.

On the same day of September 14, 2006, Dr. Abdul Aziz asked for the key in my room. He ordered me not to lock my room from then on. I became so scared that I started to use the table in my room to block the door. I also kept a knife in my room.
On the third week of September, I again called OWWA. I told them about the harassment but I was given the same advice – to run away! I again requested that I be fetched or rescued but I was given the same answer – that OWWA does not rescue workers.At around midnight on 02 November 2006, Madam Dina gave birth. He was brought to the hospital by Dr. Abdul Aziz. At about past 4:00 in the morning of 03 November 2006, I heard Dr. Abdul Aziz’ car arrive. I was then taking a shower. I got out of the bathroom. I just finished putting on my uniform when Dr. Abdul Aziz banged the door in my room. I was so shocked. Then Dr. Abdul Aziz immediately twisted my hands, laid me on the bed and tied my two hands on the bed using some cloth. He forcibly tore my clothes then raped me.

I pleaded and begged him not to do it. It hurt. I felt that his penis was so big and I almost lost consciousness. He did a withdrawal and sprayed his sperms on my chest. After that, he untied me. Then I saw that I was bleeding. I was so weak and almost went blank. I thought of the knife but I could not think or move.After what he did, I even saw him pray the Muslim prayer. Then I heard his car leave. I checked if he left any door unlocked. All doors/gates were locked. I was still bleeding.
At about 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning, I saw the window in my comfort room. I jumped out of that window. Luckily, Lorna was then working in our neighbor’s garden. She told me to look for chairs I can step on. As I was jumping to our neighbor’s garden, Lorna saw that I was bleeding.

Lorna let me out of her employer’s yard through their gate. But there were guards and so Lorna hid me behind a tree. We had to wait until the next prayer time at 11:00 in the morning. When she saw the guards entered their prayer house, Lorna advised me to run.
I hailed the taxi. I saw that it had passengers but I later learned that the taxi driver, a Filipino, saw me bleeding and so he stopped the taxi. “From the taxi, the driver placed call to the Philippine Embassy.

When we arrived at the embassy, there was a party which I later learned was a party for Connie Sison and TJ Manotoc for their Kwentong Disyerto. There were media people at the embassy. The driver called Mr. Sam to inform him that we were already outside the embassy. Mr. Sam got out and even saw the blood on my body. He did not invite us in. He just told the driver to proceed and take me to OWWA. The driver even repeated that I was bleeding but Mr. Sam insisted that I be taken to OWWA.

When we got to OWWA, there was an ongoing ballroom dancing. We were asked who we were looking for. The taxi driver was making a call to Mr. Sam in order to ask who we would look for but he was not yet responding. We waited for two hours.

After two hours (or about 9:00 at night of November 3, 2006), one Sir Levi arrived at the OWWA from the embassy. He led me to a quarter that they call “shelter” inside the OWWA. I saw many (about 30) Filipino women inside the quarter .

On the night of November 3, Connie Sison’s group also proceeded to OWWA from the embassy. Sir Levi told the leader to hide those who needed to be hid including myself because I did not look good and I was hysterical. Out of the 30 plus women, only 15 were presented to Connie Sison’s group. I later learned that they were introduced as Filipinos studying computer inside the OWWA.

I stayed in OWWA the whole day of November 4, 2006. We were fed “lugaw”. No one counseled me. I was not checked up or brought to the hospital.

On the night of November 4, 2006, Ma’am Ferida without first talking to me or asking me, called my employer. At about 8:00 in the morning the following day, my employer came. He was first attended to by Sir Levi. He was asked if I was his employee. They were later joined by Ma’am Ferida. They then invited me to sit down with them inside Ma’am Ferida and Sir Levi’s office. The door of the office was left open.

I was angry at the sight of my employer-rapist. But I could not do anything because Ma’am Ferida and Sir Levi facilitated the negotiation. I was asked not to file charges against my employer. In return, my employer would give me my five (5) months salary, a plane ticket to the Philippines as well as return my personal belongings that I left at their house when I escaped. I was made to write and sign a waiver which I worded as follows: “I will not file charges against my employer, the rape case, although it happened.”

In the morning of November 6, Sir Levi called me and gave me a plane ticket. I asked him about my personal belongings and the agreed 5 months salary that my employer would return. He said my employer only gave the ticket. I insisted, at the very least, on my things, but he said “Mamili ka. Uuwi ka or made-deport ka? Basta’s kailangan ko ng sagot mo hanggang 3:00 dahil alis tayo ng 3:30.” I cried and demanded for my things but he said ”Wala akong magagawa.” I had no choice but to agree.

Sir Levi and I left OWWA for the airport at 3:30 in the afternoon. But before leaving, I got my mobile phone that was earlier confiscated by Ma’am Ferida. I was penniless. I was not even given any money for snacks or any emergency.

At about 6:00 p.m., I boarded the plane for the Philippines. I arrived in the Philippines in November 7, 2006 where I was brought to hospitals by my family.
Not one from OWWA of the Department of Foreign Affairs assisted me in the Philippines.

Hey Kitty ... just encase you need another help I'm available- As long as I don't pay any government fees!

mabait na amo pala si mam Kitty eh! basta ayaw ko sa Kowloon magtabaho ok lang?

anon gaga ka ba. why will kitty live in Kowloon?

tanga!

agree agree agree, i was in south asia then and i took my mom and my son with me and my son need someone who will carry him to the school since i always travel that time(my son then studying in british School) and i dont want my mom to be bothered by doing the job so i tried to get one from Phil, unfortunately i cannot simply hire directly since she will also needed a working visa, etc etc,gusto ko sana syempre pinay mapagkakatiwalaan pa pero nadismaya ako ng todo todo at nakunsumi sa agency at sa poea and finally just hired a local(a good one) as my sons governess.

ako rin i will send my biodata to mam kitty. pwede ba thru victorina?

I don't understand why we Filipinos take advantage or abuse our own countrymen. I think it is deeply ingrained in our crab mentality. I work in a hospital. You won't believe that even us health professionals get verbally abused by miserable patients some of them Filipinos. I had this patient who said this: Mga putang ina ninyo mga nurses, akala nyo kung sino kayong magaganda, akala nyo kung sino kayong mayayaman! I was astounded. And I found out, she does not have insurance. What's with filthy words? I am paying for your hospital stay! I know this is nothing compared to the abuses that OFW's suffer. Just sharing the abuses we get from Filipinos here in the States.

I have been lucky, as I have dual nationality and am hired as a U.K citizen, and I don't na pay tax at home as I imagine all the corrupt people using my taxes for their own purposes...i'd happily pay taxes if I knew it would be used properly. And I would rather pay taxes to the UK, who would repatriate me in a flash..

I do know of a fellow Filipino here who was paid a pittance (200 USD per month) for technical work (engineering work).. The saddest part of his story is that its not foreigners taking advantage of him, but..another fellow Pinoy! (this guy made him the offer, whereas his sweldo was something like 5,000 USD!) In the end I got him to fight for his rights and he now gets paid the right amount (3000 USD per month plus accom and ticket) but as he was sharing a house with the other pinoy, and he was the 'last one in' the padrino plus utang ng loob system kicked in so he was cooking and cleaning in his spare time...
The story ends happily because the bad pinoy lost his job last month (for other misdemeanors like fudging results) and my friend is taking over his position!


ming

well, thanks kitty for fighting for us :) you are one of a kind. my spanish lady benefactor was as generous and kind hearted as well :)

and i am very lucky that our sick kababayans which are not really that many here in the midwest where my state is, they are not what the other nurse before me had described. so far my experience here in the U.S. is quite the opposite from her or him for i've encountered good people as patients instead. maybe they have the wisdom to realize that if you are sick it is not a good idea to be mean and even if when you're not sick as well...

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yep, it's a good thing the kid got raped-- that should teach her a lesson.

April 28, 2009 5:16 PM

This is heartless and cruel. Sana di Pilipino ang nagsulat nito.

we are in nz, not in domestic help profession, but many firms here do direct hiring from philippines. and it's true, imbis na padaliin ang proseso, nakakasagabal pang madalas ang gobyerno. ang haba haba ng pila sa poea, kung anu anong fees at seminar na dapat puntahan (at bayaran) supposedly for your protection pero kapag nagkaaberya na, wala naman sila (except kapag nakialam na ang media). my hubby's employer hired him direct with employment contract and all, kami ang nagbayad ng tiket paalis... kami na rin ang nagprocess ng papeles niya with the nz immigration (medicals and all). research at pagbabasa ang puhunan namin. importante talaga alam mo yung batas---batas ng pupuntahan mong bansa, at batas din sa atin. mas nahirapan pa kami with paperwork from Pinas including POEA hurdles kesa sa hinihingi ng NZ immigration.

it can be done, pero dapat matiyaga sa pag-alam ng proseso. meron kaming mga kilala na dumaan sa employment agency kaya hindi pa nakakaalis ay baon na sa utang from agency fees. meron pa ngang iba na may porsyento ang agency sa buwan buwan na suweldo nila.i am not against employment agencies per se, as long as they're straight up with people and don't use them as milking cows.

Meron ding nierequire na medical exam for gulf countries, tapos ang gagawin ng medical clinics tulad ng SM Lazo sa Manila, it will charge high fees (tapos di ka bibigyan ng resibo unless hingan mo). Tapos papabalik balikin ka for a number of times, each time expect to shell out about a thousand pesos or more for medication, x-ray films, blah blah kung anu ano na. Kung di ka cocomply, they will declare you as "unfit", like in my case, even though I have never failed a medical exam in my life, ayoko lang magatasan ng pera.

I'm sure there are other clinics, but one name I know OFW hopefuls should be wary of : SM Lazo. mag ingat kayo dito: http://smlazomedical.com/

one thing the president of the phils should do is make a schedule of ALL FEES and publish it. isang libro lang for all then revise it every 3 years or so.

my friend who's french who used to live in the phils invited his 9 yr old cousin to visit him. the mom of the kid went to the phil consulate in paris to make sure that there will be no surprises for his son as he will be traveling alone. she paid the fees at the consulate and asked if there will be fees paid when he arrives at naia. she was told that they are not in charge of that and only when he arrives in manila would he be told. WTF! at the very least, the could prepare the sum needed if they couldnt pay for it ante mano.

when the kid arrived in manila and even though he had the proper documentation for a minor traveling alone and even if my friend was already at the airport to pick him up, the geniuses at naia set the kid aside and him in a room (the kind with plyboard walls) and proceeded to interrogate him. again, WTF! eto pa, they were asking him in english when he clearly was not fluent in the language.

my friend finally was able to get in by bribing somebody. he was lamenting that he loved the phils and was proud to live there but he was so embarrassed about this episode that he lost a little amor for the country.

yan ang medyo ok sa states. straightforward and payment ng fees. all fees are published and payments can be tracked. it's not perfect but it's functioning and you can pretty much predict when you get results. they even give you an estimate.

rules is the great equalizer. that's why i try to follow them as much as i can and make sure others toe the line as well. with rules, the gap between rich and poor somewhat dissipates, and in principle, we are all equal. with vague rules or rules that are unenforced, the powerful and the moneyed are given an added advantage, more than their status already naturally gives them. we should all insist on implementation and fair application of rules, and we shouldnt accept excuses for not following them.

problem is we all have that/get into a situation where we have to be an exception to the rule (especially traffic rules). one time lang naman na u-turn or illegal turn etc. what people dont understand is that not only is that a bad example, it also fosters in your psyche to let people break the rules because you have done so yourself. the result is snowballing chaos. following rules begets the necessary expectation that others would and should do the same.