DOLE probes ‘discount’ maids in Singapore malls

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is looking into reports that Filipino household service workers (HSWs) are being put on display and offered as “commodities at discounted prices” at malls in Singapore, an official said yesterday.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz she has ordered the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) to investigate the so-called “discounted maids” and immediately impose sanctions on those involved in such activities.

Baldoz said she also directed the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to check all licensed agencies deploying HSWs to Singapore and find out if any of them are involved in such practices.

“If it is foreign placement agencies  that are involved, we will slap them with applicable sanctions, such as blacklisting them from hiring (overseas Filipino workers or OFWs), or cancelling their accreditation with POLO,” Baldoz said.

She said POEA will also put in place stricter measures to protect Filipino HSWs from any practice that may degrade their dignity.

Viewing galleries

There were reports that Bukit Timah Shopping Center in central Singapore allegedly set up “galleries” where foreign women workers, including Filipino HSWs, are being offered and advertised for hiring as domestic workers at “super promo” rates.

“If that report is true, this kind of practice is an affront to the dignity of the workers,” Baldoz said.

To protect Filipino HSWs in Singapore, Baldoz said, the POLO will expand the available space at the Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) or Bahay Kalinga, where  OFWs can stay and gather for various activities.

Baldoz said the FWRC will now accommodate all OFWs and not just the distressed workers.

She said the Philippine government  will work to ensure that HSWs and other OFWs have a decent place with adequate space to stay or visit in the center, where they could engage in productive and wholesome activities.

“This way, they will not spend their rest days in places where they could become vulnerable to unhealthy and unproductive pastimes,” she said.

The FWRC will also train HSWs for them to have the skills to seek better-paying jobs.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) will also  make its hotline services accessible at the center to HSWs in Singapore, particularly those who would like to lodge complaints about their working conditions.

Vice President Jejomar Binay expressed concern yesterday over the reports and urged the Philippine embassy in Singapore to investigate these “mall maids.”

Binay, presidential adviser on OFW concerns, said this practice violates an international convention protecting the rights of migrant workers.

He expressed confidence that Singapore will act on the matter once it is brought to its attention. – With Jose Rodel Clapano