Philippines cautions Filipinos on illegal Palau recruitment
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MANILA — The Department of Foreign Affairs cautions the public, particularly women who seek employment in the Republic of Palau as waitresses, against illegal recruiters who deploy Filipino workers for abusive employers.
In a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippine Ambassador to Palau Ramocito A. Mariño said that on 8 May 2007, two Filipino women and two persons from Taiwan were sentenced by the Court of Palau for “people trafficking” (human trafficking) involving seven Filipino and three Chinese women. The Filipino traffickers were sentenced to one to three years imprisonment and a total of US$7,000 in fines while the Taiwanese traffickers were each sentenced to twenty years in prison and US$50,000 in fines in addition to financial restitution to the victims amounting to more than US$18,000.
The two Filipino traffickers were implicated in the case by the testimony of seven Filipino waitresses formerly employed at a restaurant in Palau. The former waitresses alleged that they were forced into prostitution. The court later established that one of the Filipino traffickers, the recruiter, was aware all along that the women were going to be forced into prostitution.
In a related development, Ambassador Mariño stated that five of the seven Filipino victims have found gainful employment in various establishments in Palau while the other two are currently looking for work. They have already been granted an extension on their authorized stay in Palau. The Embassy had been providing assistance to the seven women since they ran away from their abusive employer in July 2006.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Esteban B. Conejos, Jr. reminded Filipinos going abroad to exercise utmost care and caution in dealing with recruiters, and to verify the legitimacy of their recruiter and job opportunities with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). END
IMPORTANT NOTICE: INBOX is an archive of press releases, statements, announcements, letters to the editors, and manifestos sent to Davao Today for publication. Please email your materials to davaotoday@gmail.com. The opinion expessed in these items does not reflect those of Davao Today and its staff. Please refer to our terms of use/disclaimer.
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May 23rd, 2007 at 7:23 am
I only wish PI was better off so that the Filipino would never have to come and work in Palau. Just about every girl that works in a Palauan karaoke bar is pressured/coerced/forced into engaging in sexual activities with customers. The Palauans view the Filipinos as dirty and low class. The Filipinos that have “legitimate” jobs are for the most part treated as quasi-captives, not allowed out at night or subject to Jim Crow-type laws. It is very sad. More power!
May 23rd, 2007 at 7:34 am
Warning - filipinos, the name of the Palauan lady who was the front for the Carnival Bar (the house of coerced prostitution) was Tilde Eriich. Be careful about working at one of her businesses. Also, Carnival is now operated as “Harbor Nights,” the Palauan front is Haruo Esang; it is suspected that he has been involved in other prostitution related fronts, so be careful. Oh yes, know that with this Carnival lawsuit, two filipinas were convicted of trafficking/exploiting their sisters from PI, Lolita Pamintuan and Katherine Manio; they are in the Palauan jail now.
May 26th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Those who tried to cheat could not even handle the specifics and details to make their cheating believable. Nilahat na…para madali. Tsk, tsk, tsk. They must be so confident that their crimes, even if proven, walang mangyayari, dankasi ang puno bulok.
May 25, 2007 | 4:50 pm
Suara says 12-0 sweep by TU in Pagalungan ‘impossible’
PAGALUNGAN, MAGUINDANAO – Suara Bangsamoro Party list today said that a 12-0 turn out will never be possible in the Municipality of Pagalungan, Maguindanao where 38 ballot boxes from eight barangays are yet to be opened.
To prove this claim, Suara Bangsamoro urges the COMELEC to secure the ballot boxes and start its canvassing immediately.
Pagalungan in Maguindanao became controversial when members of the Board of Election Inspectors here refused to transport 38 ballot boxes from the Sangguniang Bayan of Pagalungan to the municipality of Shariff Aguak, the venue of the provincial canvassing, as the municipal canvassing in Sangguniang Bayan is not yet done.
According to a member of the BEI, they were instructed by the Municipal Election Officer last May 11 to deliver the ballot boxes to the Sangguniang Bayan for the municipal canvassing. However, on the day of the election, Elisa Gasmin, Municipal Election Officer, suddenly ordered them to transport the ballot boxes in four private vans outside the Sangguniang Bayan.
“They refused to give the ballot boxes to deliver to Shariff Aguak because the vans according to them are not the official vehicles of the COMELEC and there was no document shown to them as proof that the directive of transferring the ballot boxes is also official,” Zaynab Ampatuan, National Chairperson of Suara Bangs �g ��������B�{��:�a��@�amation of local candidates was already done even if the 38 ballot boxes are still unopened with 190 election returns.
According to Suara Bangsamoro, the Commission on Elections should get hold of the ballot boxes immediately so that the teachers will be relieved of their election duties.
“The members of the BEI in Pagalungan have been guarding the ballot boxes inside the Sangguniang Bayan of Pagalungan for ten days already and up to this date, no election officer from the COMELEC is replying to their request to secure the ballot boxes,” Ampatuan said.
She added that these BEIs have already abandoned their other responsibilities in their families and in school to safeguard the ballot boxes.
“They have been safekeeping the ballot boxes day and night relying to the support of the community for their daily consumption,” Ampatuan said. #
IMPORTANT NOTICE: INBOX is an archive of press releases, statements, announcements, letters to the editors, and manifestos sent to Davao Today for publication. Please email your materials to davaotoday@gmail.com. The opinion expessed in these items does not reflect those of Davao Today and its staff. Please refer to our terms of use/disclaimer.