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| Villafuerte was disappointed by the complaint's withdrawal |
By Vir B. Lumicao
A Filipina helper who accused a Hong Kong employment agency of
failing to place her for a job in Canada despite collecting $46,000 from her, has
withdrawn her complaint against the recruiter.
But this did not stop the Philippine Overseas Labor Office from enforcing a month-long suspension on accredited agency, Excellent Employment
Service & Trading.
According to Polo Officer-in-charge Antonio Villafuerte, the
suspension which was put in place from Jul 21, was for the agency’s role in the
third-country recruitment.
He said Philippine labor laws specifically prohibit the
practice, and all accredited agencies are bound by this regulation.
Villafuerte said he met with the agency owners last week and
they denied recruiting the Filipina complainant for the job in Canada.
The agency owners reportedly claimed they were just asked by
the Filipina’s sister, who is already in Canada, to advise the domestic
helper on her documentation. But another individual in Canada was the
one who allegedly collected the $46,000 placement fee from the jobseeker.
On Aug 11, the complainant herself went to Villafuerte and told
him she was withdrawing her complaint against Excellent.
The labor chief said he was surprised by her withdrawal and
told her she could not just go to Polo to seek help and then turn her back
suddenly, leaving them in an awkward position.
The woman was told to write a statement saying she was
withdrawing the complaint, and why.
Villafuerte was clearly disappointed with the complainant’s
turnaround. “Maski sa statement niya, iba ang sinasabi niya ngayon sa sinabi
niya noon,” he said.
The worker sought Villafuerte’s help when the prospective
job fell through because the employer had neglected to file the work contract
within the designated period allegedly because he was traveling abroad.
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