Migrant groups slam HK labor exec for maltreating OFW

Hong Kong-based labor attaché Romulo Salud should be recalled or fired for his rude treatment of an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in distress, according to two migrant rights groups based in the special Chinese territory. The United Filipinos in Hong Kong (Unifil-Migrante-HK) and Mission for Migrant Workers (MFMW) both alleged that Salud failed to give proper assistance to first-time domestic worker Agnes Tenorio when she approached his office for help. . Tenorio reportedly sought help from the Philippine Consulate General after her employer illegally terminated her contract, barely two hours after she arrived at Hong Kong. Confused about her options, Tenorio initially said that she wanted to return to the Philippines, to which Salud agreed without advising her of her rights, according to Unifil-Migrante-HK.
However, Tenorio later learned from other OFWs that she could file claims for her unpaid wages at the HK Labor Department, and file a complaint against her employer for illegal termination of contract, said Unifil-Migrante-HK. Tenorio reportedly went back to see Salud, who then scolded her for changing her mind. An alleged recording of this conversation has been uploaded to the video-sharing website YouTube, and has already received over 14,200 views. It was "a wake-up call," Salud told GMA news program Saksi. "If that could hurt her feelings, I'm sorry. But it was not intended to do so." Malacañang said yesterday that the administration is looking into the case. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz is studying the matter, said Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, who said that he will also bring up the issue with the Department of Foreign Affairs. “Baldoz will have to hear both sides. Titingnan [niya] kung ano ba talaga ang nangyari doon at kung ano ang kalalabasan ng kanyang pagsusuri ay sasabihin po namin sa inyo," said Lacierda. (She will see what really happened there, and we will tell you the results of her investigation.) Salud was formerly an official of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan.—With Larissa Mae Suarez/JV, GMANews.TV