Underpaid and neglected
When Rebamba was on his vacation in Kuwait, the Philippine government heightened the deployment ban to Iraq. Although there were others who were able to still cross to Iraq, Rebamba was left in Kuwait. There, he complained for a salary adjustment. As a truck driver and a translator, he insisted that $650 is not enough considering they were in the middle of a war. He compared his salary to Nepali migrant workers earning more than him but with less work load.
Rebamba had only his passport and a bag of clothes in Kuwait. The rest was left in Camp Anaconda. Based on his contract, the company will shoulder their airfare costs back to the Philippines once they were able to finish the two-year contract. Since he was just in his four month, it was his family in the Philippines that sent the money he could use to buy his ticket.
Another problem was they had no work visa, meaning they got there using a tourist visa only. Kaya kayang-kaya nilang gawin yun sa amin (Its very easy for them to do that to us).I know theres connivance there, he lamented.
Rebamba said they even approached the Philippine embassy in Kuwait. Instead, he said they were the ones blamed for their situation.
Imposibleng di nila alam ang job order, were almost 1,000 people, dumaan kami sa process, (Itsimpossible for them not to have known of the job order, were almost 1,000 people and we went through the process), explained Rebamba.Ano namang gagawin namin, magtu-tourist kami lahat dun? Pulitika talaga (What would wedo, be all tourists there? Theres really politics involved).
For Rebamba, this problem is deeply-rooted in the relations of the Philippines and the U.S.
Kunwari lang na hindi alam ng government na nakakalusot ang mga Pinoy (The government just pretends it doesnt know that Filipinos can get through), he insisted. Dahil (because) the Philippines has a commitment to support America sa gera sa Iraq (in its war on Iraq) dahil ally tayo nyan, servant ng America (because we are an ally, a servant of America).
Talagang binenta kami ng buhay dun, nakakadala (We were sold alive there, it was sickening), he said.
He returned home on October 2004, never wanting to go back there and work again in that war-torn country.
But any good offer would change his mind. He said if he would be able to find a direct and fair employer, he would not mind going back there as long as he would be fairly paid.
But when asked if the pay is worth the danger, his answer is still a big No. Bulatlat
Pinoy Life Abroad
