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Pinosasan ng 5 taong gulang na alaga!

Posted on 25 July 2019 No comments

Ang litrato na nai-post ni Diana pagkatapos siyang posasan ng

Tarantang nag post sa isang Facebook page ng mga bagong dating na OFW si Diana (hindi tunay na pangalan) para humingi ng tulong dahil kinabitan siya ng posas ng kanyang alagang batang babae na mahigit apat na taong gulang pa lang, at ini-lock.

Kasalukuyan daw siyang nagliligpit ng mga ikinalat na stuffed toys sa kuwarto ng alagang makulit noong ika-23 ng Hulyo nang lapitan siya ng bata at niyaya siyang maglaro.

“Bigla niyang ininsert yung posas sa kamay ko at sabi ay alam daw niya kung paano alisin, at bigla niyang nilock,” sabi ni Diana. “Ang sabi ko hindi matatanggal dahil wala ang susi. Nasaan ang susi, kako. Hindi niya daw alam.”

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Gusto pa nga daw ng bata na ikabit sa magkabilang kamay niya ang posas, “mabuti at naagapan ko,” sabi ni Diana.

“Ang iyak ko kanina, sabi ko (sa bata) pag di natanggal sa kamay ko ito ikaw na gagawa sa bahay nyo, ikaw na maglilinis, maglalaba, magluluto at asikasuhin mo sarili mo. ‘Nobody will take care of you…Yung iyak ko naisigaw ko sa kanya pero hindi po ako nananakit, naiistresss lang po ako.”

Nang matakot ay kinalikot pa daw nang husto ng bata ang posas hanggang sumikip ito, at napasigaw si Diana sa sakit. “Nasigawan ko na ang bata na huwag niyang galawin at masakit na kako.”

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Gusto naman diumano ng bata na makatulong na matanggal ang posas dahil natatakot sa ina at ito ang nagbigay sa kanya para laruin ito.

Takot na takot na tinawagan ni Diana ang kanyang amo sa telepono para humingi ng tulong nguni’t sinabihan lang siya nito na pumunta na lang siya sa isang metal shop para pabuksan ang posas.

Sa Facebook group, dumagsa bigla ang nag “like” sa post ni Diana, kasabay ng kung ano-anong payo para makawala siya sa bakal niyang pulseras. May mga pumuna din, at nagtanong kung bakit napaglaruan siya ng ganoon ng isang paslit. Pero marami ang natawa.

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Sa hanay ng mga gustong makatulong, may nagpadala ng litrato na may gabay kung paano makawala sa posas na naka-lock. Kailangan lang daw na tusukin ang isang butas malapit sa lock para ito magbukas. Mayroon ding nagsabi na tumawag na siya ng pulis, at kung ano-ano pa.

Mabuti na lang at isang ka-building niya ang nakakita, at agad siyang sinabihan na bumaba sa kanilang lobby at magpasaklolo sa guwardiya doon.

Iyon nga ang ginawa ni Diana, at karay-karay ang alaga na bumaba sa lobby ng kanilang building at sinabi sa guwardiya ang “I need help.” “Buti may tumulong kasi hindi din matanggal ng guwardiya na babae,” sabi ni Diana.

Kinailangang sirain ang posas para matanggal sa kamay ni Diana

Hindi rin matanggal ng sumaklolo lock ng posas kaya sinira na lang niya ito para makawala si Diana.

Kitang-kita sa litrato na ipinakita ni Diana sa Facebook ang gasgas sa kanang kamay niya nang hindi sinasadyang naisara pa ng bata ng todo ang lock.

Pag-uwi kinagabihan ay natawa pa daw ang kanyang among babae sa ginawang kalokohan ng anak.

Ayon sa amo, may nagregalo lang daw sa kanya ng posas. Pero sa naulinigan ni Diana, sa usapan ng mga amo, ito ay isang sex toy, at kasama sa mga iniregalo ang isang uniporme ng pulis na ipinasukat pa ng babae sa anak nito habang nagtatawa.

“Ang alam ko ay nakatago yun, hindi ko alam kung paano napunta sa kuwarto ng bata,” sabi ni Diana.

Ayon pa kay Diana, pitong buwan pa lang siyang naninilbihan sa pamilya ng amo. Mabait naman daw ang mga ito, bagamat minsan ay may “saltik” din. Bukod dito, ubod daw ng kuripot ang mga ito, at ang ibinibigay na pera para sa kanilang pagkain ng tatlong beses sa isang araw ay $200 lang kada linggo.

“Nagtitiis na lang ako para sa mga anak ko sa Pilipinas,” sabi ni Diana.

Siya daw ay isang single mother na may tatlong anak na kasalukuyang inaalagaan ng kanyang ina sa Pilipinas.

Bagamat iisang bata lang ang kanyang inaalagaan ay parang lima naman daw ang katauhan nito dahil sa likot at tigas ng ulo. - DCLM

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Polo suspends agency accreditation to clear backlog

Posted on 24 July 2019 No comments

Polo’s officer-in-charge Tony Villafuerte

By Vir B. Lumicao

The Philippine Overseas Labor Office has stopped accepting applications for accreditation of Hong Kong employment agencies until it has cleared a backlog of pending applications.

Polo’s officer-in-charge Tony Villafuerte said he and other POLO officers decided on a moratorium starting Jul 15 as applications had piled up since accreditation was opened to more players while staff numbers declined.

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At the moment, about 80 applications are still waiting to be processed, said Villafuerte, who has been designated as Polo’s top official after Labor Attaché Jalilo dela Torre’s term was cut short on Jul 7.

Polo posted a notice about the suspension on its website at the Jul 13 weekend. The cut-off for submission of accreditation applications was Monday, Jul 15.

“(Pero) kapag naayos na yung 80, lift na ang moratorium,” he said.

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He said the applications began to pile up after Labatt Jolly opened agency accreditation to more applicants in a bid to bring down employment agency charges.

“Para sa akin, pareho rin sa gusto ni Labatt na mas maraming agencies, sige lang. Ako naman OK din doon, dahl sa spirit of enterprise. The more the competitors, the lower the price. It will be for the benefit of the consumers,” Villafuerte said.

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There are now more than 400 Hong Kong agencies accredited by Polo, up from about 350 a year ago.

Villafuerte blamed the backlog on acute personnel shortage. Three former staff from the Department of Labor and Employment ended their tour of duty in February while the contracts of two local hires were not renewed. Labatt dela Torre’s departure has left six vacant slots to be filled.

The OIC said each one of the 15 staff left has been working on extended hours on weekdays, so they have no more time left to inspect the accreditation applicants after work. They can only do the inspections at the weekends, including Sundays when Polo is swamped with overseas Filipino workers asking for all sorts of service or assistance.

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FDHs push for $5,890 minimum wage in talks with Labour

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Migrant workers led by Eman Villanueva, Eni Lestari and Dolores Balladores-Pelaez face the media after their closed-door meeting to present their minimum wage proposal to Labour Department officials on Wednesday, Jul 24.

By Vir B. Lumicao

Migrant workers urged the Hong Kong government today, Jul 24, to raise their minimum wage to $5,890 a month, describing their current pay of $4,520 as slave wage. They also called for a $2,600 food allowance.

Leaders of migrant groups presented their wage proposal to Labour Department's Wage Review Board representatives currently consulting the public for inputs in their review of the minimum wage for the city’s 380,000 foreign domestic workers this year.

The Board usually announces its decision around September.

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But, emerging from an hour-long meeting at the Labour Department in Sheung Wan, the migrant leaders said they were disappointed because there was no transparency in the government’s calculation of their minimum wage.

“We believe this process is just a showcase. It is not honest, it is not sincere in the government that they want to listen to our voice,” said Eni Lestari, spokeswoman of the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body. “Again until now, after many, many years, we asked the government, how do you calculate the wages of the domestic workers. They never have a formula or calculation.”

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She said the government’s calculation is not transparent and, therefore, unfair to the domestic workers and even to employers, as they do not know the basis for the new minimum wage.

Eman Villanueva, an AMCB spokesman, said the migrant workers are pushing their campaign for Hong Kong to adopt the living wage standard calculated by Oxfam Hong Kong in a study presented to the International Labor Organization last December.

“We are asking for a $5,894 as the minimum wage for domestic workers. The main basis for this is the calculation made by Oxfam Hong Kong on the living wage standard in Hong Kong right now, which they say is about $54.70 per hour,” said Villanueva.

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He said the minimum wage of $4,520 a month is one of the lowest for migrant workers and raising it to the living wage level will improve Hong Kong's image as a city where modern-day slavery still exists.

Villanueva said the migrant workers also reiterated their demand for a $2,600 monthly food allowance based on government statistics that per capita food expenditure in Hong Kong is about $2,600 every month.

The current food allowance for helpers is just $1,075 a month, just about 40% of the actual per capita food expenditure, he said.

“We are also living in Hong Kong, we are also Hong Kong people and you know the standard for the food allowance should be based on the actual expenditure in Hong Kong which the government said is $2,600,” Villanueva said.

The Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions, whose representatives also attended the meeting, demanded a MAW of $5,800 and food allowance of $2,500.

FADWU also urged the government to include migrant domestic workers in the coverage of Hong Kong’s Minimum Wage Ordinance.

Villanueva said the workers also asked the Labour Department to consider listing in the employment contract toilets, kitchens, cupboards and hallways as unsuitable accommodation.

“I think the government’s definition of suitable accommodation is not so clear, so it is time for them to list it down for the items I mentioned,” he said.

Another concern the workers brought up was overcharging by employment agencies. The government representative just explained what Labour is doing as part of its action plan, Villanueva said.

“We reiterated that the problem of overcharging or illegal collection is still very rampant and widespread, so there seems to be a mismatch in what they are doing and it seems they are not effective because the problem is persisting anyway,” he said.

He said the migrant workers suggested more practical ways to solve the problem.

The meeting was also attended by Mission for Migrant Workers general manager Cynthia Abdon-Tellez, director Edwina Antonio and case officer Esther Bangcawayan.

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Employment agency loses licence for malpractice

Posted on 23 July 2019 No comments

Those stripped of their licences were found
to have violated this Code of Practice for agencies

By The SUN

An employment agency operating out of three offices across Hong Kong has had its licence revoked for multiple violations of the industry’s Code of Practice, according to a press release issued today, Jul 23, by the Hong Kong Labour Department.

The press statement identified the agency as Saint Happy Maids Agency, which has offices in Mong Kok, Yuen Long and Tsuen Wan.

Saint Happy Maids was found to have involved itself in the financial affairs of foreign domestic helpers, failed to draw up service agreements with employers, failed to include all required items in the service agreement with employers and helpers, and failed to provide receipts for payments made by employers.

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It was the third agency to be stripped of its license by LD’s Employment Agency Administration this year. The two others were Fardiansyah International Limited in Yaumatei and Perfect World Employment Services Co in Tai Po,

Last year, eight agencies lost their licence for non-compliance with the Code, including Unity Employment Limited, Happy J Employment Agency, Tin Wai Employment Company Limited, Good Family Employment Agency Company Limited, Galaxy Maid Employment Consultants Limited, and JK Company.

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Three agency operators were prosecuted, while at least 20 agencies were warned for various violations, including Saint Happy, which received a warning on Feb. 19.

The statement said the Employment Ordinance empowers the Commissioner for Labour to revoke the license of an EA if he is satisfied the licensee concerned or an individual employed by the licensee has not complied with the Code.

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“The Code sets out the salient legal requirements that EA operators must observe in operating their business, as well as the minimum standards which the commissioner expects from EAs,” an LD spokesman said.

The LD reminded all employment agency operators to comply with the law and the provisions of the Code at all times.

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