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Gov’t hit for harboring illegal recruiter

BAGUIO CITY (July 8) — Migrante-Metro Baguio (MB) criticized the government for tolerating illegal recruitment by licensed recruitment agencies.

Migrante-MB Chair Flora Belinan claimed that licensed recruitment agencies use their licenses as a come on to lure more and more victims.

“Why does the government tolerate these agencies? There had been many cases of illegal recruitment by licensed recruitment agencies but did we hear of any of them being closed down?” she asked.

Belinan cited the case of Bibian Magadang, a resident of the city, married, with three children. According to Bibian’s written statement, sometime in February, Daniel Resultay, an agent of the Placewell International Services Corporation, based at Philippine Employment Services Office (PESO) located at the Baguio City Hall, told her that a hospital in Riyadh was in need of 450 janitors. She readily applied for the said job thinking that it was safe since the agency was under the government.

Bibian left the country on April 23 this year. Before they departure she already noticed something unusual, when they were asked not to bring their cellular phones with them. Upon arrival at the Saudi Arabian airport, a bus fetched them and brought them to a house where around 50 other Filipinos were staying. She heard from her companions that they were to stay there for a week before they being sent to their employer. A week passed and no one came to get them.

At the said house, Bibian came to know Nida (not her real name) also from Baguio, who became her friend.

Nida and Bibian decided to call the former’s family here in the Philippines sensing that something was wrong. Somehow somebody noticed them contacting their relativesand they were instantly separated from each other.

Bibian was brought to a place where the last thing she could remember was someone injected something on her. When she woke up, she was already at the Baguio General Hospital (BGH), where she was confined for a week. At present she is undergoing psychiatric treatment.

Bibian has a history of depression because of her experience in 2002, when she was illegally recruited to Jordan, where she was maltreated by her employer. The illegal recruitment and estafa case she filed against her recruiter is still ongoing.

Resultay also told her that she would pay a total of P18,000 for all the processing fees, but she had actually paid P24, 000.

Bibian’s husband went to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to seek medical assistance but he was told that Bibian’s name is not in the OWWA list despite paying her OWWA membership payment. She has a receipt of her payment.

According to Belinan, Migrante called OWWA-Cordillera Administrative Region and informed them about Bibian’s case. She added they also filed a complaint at the POEA regarding Bibian’s benefits and assistance.

As a result, Bibian’s Philhealth is already under process for reimbursement of medical expenses.

Moreover, Belinan hit the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for its intensified labor export program despite tales of Filipino compatriots being maltreated, jailed and killed.

According to reports in a national daily, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration Acting Secretary Danilo Cruz said that OFWs all over the world now totals to half a million and that with the rate of Filipinos leaving the country daily they will be able to reach their one million target.

“Government agencies like the POEA, DOLE and OWWA whose mandate is to uphold the rights and welfare of OFWs are not doing their jobs yet they are targeting to deploy a million Filipinos abroad. What protection could Filipino compatriots expect then?” she declared. # Kim Quitasol for NORDIS

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