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POEA: Stricter requirements for Pinoy maids in Malaysia does not apply in other countries

GIAN GERONIMO, GMA NewsSeptember 12, 2012 4:30pm

The Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) on Wednesday said the stricter requirements for Filipino domestic helpers in Malaysia does not apply to other countries.

In a phone interview with GMA News Online on Wednesday, POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac explained that the stricter requirements imposed by the Philippine Embassy in Malaysia was entirely its own prerogative.

It was earlier reported the the Philippine officials in Malaysia enforced stricter rules for new agencies bringing in Filipina domestic helpers into the country.

"The measure is as far as we know undertaken only in the Philippine Embassy (in Malaysia) in Kuala Lumpur," Cacdac said.

Cacdac also said there was nothing wrong with what the Philippine Embassy in Malaysia did, if it was done for the benefit of the Philippines' domestic helpers.

"If it is a measure that our Philippine embassy (in Malaysia) deems proper for the better protection of OFWs, then it's fine with the POEA," he said.

No new national policy for OFWs

He explained that the Philippine government did not issue any new national policy that domestic workers and other OFWs.

Cacdac also said the POEA has yet to receive word from Philippine embassies in other countries detailing situations similar to that of the Philippine Embassy in Malaysia.

He said these embassies will be the ones to give their own signals should they also encounter the developments in Kuala Lumpur.

Stricter measures

A report of Malaysia's The Star news site quoted Philippine labor attache Dr. Alicia Santos as saying, "We are becoming stricter to ensure that agencies abide by all requirements and terms.”

While the accreditation for new recruitment agencies to bring in Filipino domestic helpers was not stopped, Santos said new measures will be enforced more strictly.

Discussions on imposing a moratorium have also been started but have no final word yet, she said.

Santos said many agencies that promised to comply with regulations were not being true to their word, and also said employment agencies in Malaysia face issues such as payment of salaries and the welfare and protection of OFWs.

Discussions with higher authorities on enforcing stripping violating agencies of their accreditation are also ongoing, Santos said.

She was also quoted in the report as saying Filipina maids in Malaysia are in high demand since 2009. Around 10,000 Filipina domestic workers are employed in Malaysia when there were only around 4,000 three years ago.

The Star report also cited POEA figures showing that around 499,495 household service workers went abroad over the past six years.

Last week, the Philippine government directed the POEA, in a five-year program, to reduce the deployment of Filipinos to work as hired help in foreign households as part of government efforts to protect OFWs from employer abuse. - VVP, GMA News