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| Ambassador Sta Romana airs warning over state-owned China Radio International |
Philippine Ambassador to China
Jose Santiago Sta. Romana has reiterated that Filipinos are still not allowed
to work as domestic helpers in China
“Madaling pumunta dito, madaling kumuha ng trabaho. Ang
mahirap ang kumuha ng work permit kasi wala pang agreement at hindi pa policy
ng Chinese government to accept (foreign domestic helpers),” Ambassador Sta
Romana said in an interview on Radyo Internasyonal ng Tsina (or Chinese Radio
International) that aired today, Jan. 9.
He said no bilateral agreement has yet been signed between
the two governments that would allow Filipinos to work legally in China
This is despite recurring reports in the past that Filipino
domestics would soon be allowed to work in key Chinese cities like Shanghai , Beijing and Xiamen
But despite the absence of such a deal, the Philippine
government itself has estimated that there are around 200,000 undocumented Filipinos
working as domestic helpers in China
Ambassador Sta Romana said domestic concern could be the
reason why China
Without a proper work permit, Filipinos who take up domestic
jobs in the mainland could be arrested any time and deported, he said.
In the past, he said China
Despite the prohibition on domestic work, Filipinos continue
to flock to China
He said recruitment is still ongoing for the 2,000 slots
opened for Filipino school teachers as part of a memorandum of understanding signed
between the Philippines and China on the sidelines of the Boao forum in Hainan in April 2018.
But it appears there have been not a lot of takers, as the deal
requires applicants to be qualified to teach at university level, and must have
graduated from designated schools in the Philippines
“Medyo nagkaroon lang ng challenge sa implementation,” Sta
Romana said.
But he said the salary offer is high enough to attract many
applicants.
Asked about the possible impact of the protests on the work
security of Filipinos in Hong Kong , the
ambassador said “Our concern is the welfare of our compatriots. What we want is
the safety and security of our compatriots.”
He called on Filipinos in the city to keep themselves safe
by not taking part in what he called as Hong Kong ’s
“domestic” concern.
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