Malaysia is one of Asia's biggest employers of foreign labour. But recently, cases of deaths, abuse and forced labour have come to light. What is going on? Who is protecting these migrant workers?
Radio dzRH on Saturday reported that many of the workers were weeping as they narrated they were forced to work as virtual sex slaves upon arrival in Malaysia.
<p>The report said some of the workers were made to cater to customers and do
“extra" work other than “massaging" them. The workers claimed
they were made to work long hours without overtime pay.</p>
<p>The workers filed complaints of “large-scale" illegal recruitment,
falsification of public documents and human trafficking against John Sabiniano,
42, and his wife Elma, 40.</p>
<p>They lodged the complaint before the police station in Jones town in Isabela
province.</p>
<p>The 19 were part of a batch of 32 Filipinos “deployed" to Malaysia
but were caught and deported back to the Philippines.</p>
<p>John and Elma, of Barangay (village) 2 in Jones town, are already facing charges
of illegal recruitment along with alleged Manila-based ring leader Diana Lacson
from a victim based in Quirino province.</p>
<p>Elmer Labasa of Quirino province claimed the couple duped him of P160,000 in
“placement fees" in February 2007.</p>
<p>Labasa, in a complaint he lodged with the provincial prosecutor’s office
in Quirino, said he paid the placement fee in three installments, in exchange
for a job in Korea.</p>
<p>When he felt suspicious that he was being duped, he went to the couple’s
Manila-based “affiliate" office, the Star Care Human Resources and
Training Center in Pasay City.</p>
<p>There, he said Lacson “convinced" him that he would be deployed to
Korea after the May 14 elections.</p>
<p>But when he still failed to leave the country by August, he decided to check
if the suspects’ agency was registered with the Philippine Overseas Employment
Agency (POEA).</p>
<p>His fears were confirmed after lawyer Rosemarie Duque, from the POEA anti-illegal
recruitment prosecution division, told him that Star Care was not registered
with the government. – GMANews.TV</p>
<p><i>Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/68097/19-Pinoys-arrive-from-Malaysia-file-charges-vs-recruiter</i>
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