MAID-IN-THE-PHILIPPINES: Min. Salary of US$400/month & absolutely no placement fee.

Dear Readers:

I chose this topic as this is the latest issue in the industry these days. At least not until we know what would be the reaction of the receiving countries comes the day of its reckoning, Saturday, December 16, 2006.

On this day, all household workers' contracts (except those considered as "pipe-lined" accounts) should bear the minimum permissible salary of US$400.00 per month, and the workers are not supposed to be collected any placement or service fees (absolutely - not even using the salary deduction scheme).

Historically, when PGMA went to Saudi Arabia, most (if not all) officials of our Embassy in Riyadh complained that they are spending no less than 80% of their diplomatic duties solving welfare problems of OFWs, mostly DH (or domestic helpers as we call them, or live-in maids as foreigners call them). This prompted the president, upon her return to Manila, to order her people that something must be done in order to empower our DH and make this "vulnerable" job category less problematic. One brilliant-minded official who heads the country's government training & assessment administration office, thought of the project: "SUPER MAIDS". And so the birth of superheroes, PINOY-STYLED, came into being, setting rules of engagement, training and everything we need to know. The meeting, called by POEA coined as "Consultative Meeting", turned out to be a Zarzuela since we were never consulted at all ... as we listen to the program that TESDA formulated, with cost and number of hours included in the syllabus, despite what the industry leaders (who attended that same meeting in the office of the POEA-Administrator, although she wasn't around that time) have to say about it, the usual thing happened ... it entered one ear, and left another.

Now why "household workers" and not just (live-in) maids? Like I told one industry-leader and a fellow employment-provider like myself, the government has already studied this very well and to those who think that changing the job category from "domestic helper or maid" to, say, "care-taker" (as in Taiwan), or caregiver, or anything that you can creatively think of, good luck! The mere fact that it is stated as "household worker", regardless of what job category is placed in the contract, the fact remains that he or she works in a household, the rule will be applied accordingly.

One creative-minded friend of mine, a fellow-industry leader of one association sending maids to the Middle East, asked me point-blank, why "in the draft of the MC that circulated in the industry, the job category of 'domestic helper' was written. But in the final draft that was signed, it was changed into a 'household worker'?" He might be joking, but such joke is made in a bad taste as if he (as a good bone-headed person as he has always been in the many meetings that I have had with him) is insinuating that I have something to do with it.

Enough about what I have got to say, let me hear from you! The nagging questions are:

1. What do you think will happen to us once the new rule is implemented?
2. What, in your opinion, is the best next move that we should be doing?
3. What do you have in mind that many will be doing after the reckoning date?

There are many things what we should consider here. One basic thing I could think of is that, the government has finally caught up on us and got us by the balls. Let's face it, enough about posturing, government's is standing on a higher moral ground here (at least in the eyes of the public) by increasing the salary from US$200 to US$400. Why, there are even entities (both licensed and un-licensed) who send their maids to Lebanon for a measly US$120 - 150 a month! One industry leader was even caught by his fellow industry in Lebanon when he was dealing with a Lebanese counterpart for US$125/month!

The situation is getting worse, to say the least. Something is cooking and we are not allowed to even peek at the menu. They say that household worker deployment was next on the shopping list, after OPAs (Overseas Performing Artists, or talents as we call them in our entertainment industry sector jargon - the more ignorant manner of calling them is using the term "japayukis"). Prior to that was KOREA, who's private-sector participation (via KFSMB) will end and will no longer be renewed by the Korean government, and the sending of our OFWs to Korea will only be done by one and only one recruitment agency (being the biggest single deploying agency) in the Philippines: POEA (via EPS).

UK, after having been opened by private-sector, now under the mercy of POEA, used to receive more or less 3,000 nurses each year. I doubt if they can reach the 600 mark this year. Spain has a new MC giving selective & qualifying directives to interested participating agencies. I can't share so much about this for I rather wait for my file from PARADA secretariat. Lebanon, both repatriated and evacuated more or less 6,000 DH, when 65% of them are undocumented! Meaning, they only passed through the illegal channel of our airports called, "ESCORT SYSTEM"! And when the ban was put in place, no less than 30 - 60 DH arrive in Beirut airport daily, through a 3rd country destination.

Taiwan, the only country that is allowed by POEA (except for household workers - but do you really believe this?) for our OFWs to pay for their food and accommodation. Who gave the Taiwanese government the idea - just to get the orders from employers, to get rid of the manpower brokers or agencies from both sides? Dare I say to lose my license?

And what about this 1 Million Jobs they claim that they have surpassed? Check out the records. How many are "new-hires" against the "re-hires"? In one of my meetings with Sec. Brion, I even told him that it is not true that the deployment of domestic helpers is decreasing. Many are simply being sent via illegal means. Right to travel? Fiddle-sticks!

What else? Oh, they are just too many. Let us keep the ball rolling and the fire burning. It is in giving up that we learn our defeat. "Champions are not made because of their brilliance ... they are so because they never give up." In closing, let me share my over-used phrase from Edmund Burke, "In order to let evil to prosper, is to let good men do nothing." Happy Holidays! For what is left of it.