Foreign counterpart agencies blamed for OFW abuse

Leslie left her family in Castillejos, Zambales, two years ago to work as a saleslady in Bahrain — a job promised to her by her recruitment agency King Solomon.

While she knew that working abroad can be dangerous — her mother, Roselyn, was a victim of harassment in Singapore — she did not expect that she will be deployed to Kuwait instead of Bahrain.

Nor did she anticipate being sold like cattle by the foreign counterpart of her recruitment agency, Saleema Hussain Matar Office, as well as the alternative contract that one Lyn Mera made her sign on the threat of paying a fine.

"Wala naman po akong magawa kundi ititinda kami nang ititinda doon ng agency. Kahit na gusto ko na pong umuwi, wala naman po akong magagawa talaga," Leslie said in Howie Severino's documentary on i-Witness.

Saleema Hussain Matar Office allegedly gave Leslie's passport to her employer upon her arrival, immediately violating the rule that forbid anyone from taking an OFW's passport.

Afterward, Leslie was given a list of rules that rang true for pointers given to OFWs during their pre-departure seminar, including a full disclosure of possible abuses.

What was peculiar was the rule that required Leslie to stop by their office in case her employer wanted to sell her.

"Parang isda na ano, kahit gustuhin mong umuwi hindi pwede wala kang magawa kasi nasa kanila ung passport mo, pina-padlock ka, wala ka talagang magagawa," she said.

Leslie was one of hundreds of OFWs who did not know of the "kafala" system, where foreign workers are sponsored by employers and can only look for new jobs without their approval after three years with the same employer.

The system has long been criticized for its potential for abuse as it gave employers absolute power and a sense of entitlement over their employers.

Randall Solomon, the owner of King Solomon, denied that they changed Leslie's contract nor that he knew about the kafala system.

King Solomon's employees also denied that Lyn Mera was their employee, with one staff member saying Lyn Mera merely referred Leslie to them.

Leslie came home after two years in Kuwait to her family and plans to travel to Manila to confront her recruitment agency.

The Philippines has banned the deployment of first-time OFWs to Kuwait following the killing of Joanna Demafelis, whose body was found stuffed in a freezer last month, a year after her family reported her missing to authorities. —KBK, GMA News