Recruiters suspended over OFW’s death

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) ordered yesterday the suspension of the recruiters of a Filipino household worker who allegedly committed suicide in Abu Dhabi in February.

Al-Masiya Overseas Placement Agency, Inc. and Al Madina Recruitment, its counterpart agency in the United Arab Emirates, were suspended for their “apparent oversight in monitoring the actual condition of Alona Mercado Bagayan,” POEA administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said.

Bagayan was recruited by Al-Masiya to work as a household worker in Abu Dhabi. She left the Philippines on Jan. 30 and was turned over by Al Madina to her employer last Feb. 1. She was found dead five days later.

Cacdac said Al-Masiya was suspended for “engaging in the placement of workers in jobs harmful to public health, and its failure to report to the POEA the death of its deployed worker.”

He noted Bagayan’s death could have been prevented if Al-Masiya complied with its duties and obligation as provided under the POEA rules.

“Under POEA regulations, agencies are obliged to monitor the situation of OFWs – especially household service workers – as soon as they arrive in their workplace,” he said.

Cacdac said the POEA stopped Al Madina from further “employing Filipino workers for defaulting on its contractual obligation to the worker, and for gross negligence leading to the death of the Bagayan.”

“There is strong evidence indicating that the two agencies committed serious violations relative to the recruitment and placement of the subject OFW, and also considering that Al-Masiya has nine pending recruitment violation cases before the POEA, we believe that there are valid and justifiable grounds that the continued operation of the two agencies would lead to further violations and exploitation of the workers being recruited,” he said.