Tuesday, October 28, 2008 Agency welcomes House probe
THE recruitment agency, which hired the 23 overseas Filpino workers (OFWs) detained at Trinidad and Tobago last month, is ready to face a congressional inquiry.
Josefina Casianan, manager of Be Glad Worldwide Placement Agency (BGWPA), said it has already gathered documents to show to Rep. Ramon “Red” Durano VI (Cebu, 5th district) in the agency’s defense.
“(BGWPA) has no obligation until it is proven nga kami ang liable,” Casianan said in a press conference yesterday.
BGWPA legal officer Antonio Cabreros said they are thinking twice about filing charges against the 23 OFWs because they pitied them.
“Naluoy mi sa ilaha,” Casianan said (We feel sorry for them).
Cabreros added that if anyone is responsible for the fraudulent papers that led to the workers’ imprisonment last Sept. 19, it is the new employer that the OFWs had sought out.
Casianan said that the workers would not have been deported if they had stayed with Multitask Co. Ltd., which paid about $1,000 for the processing of their papers.
Under their contract with BGWPA, the 23 were to work in Multitask in Tobago Island in the Caribbean country.
But the 23 broke away from Multitask allegedly due to maltreatment, and sailed to Trinidad Island for a new employer, Envirotech Construction.
But Robert Gubalani, one of the workers, alleged it was Multitask managing director Anderson McPhee who alerted Trinidad immigration officers that they were sailing there with allegedly fraudulent papers from Envirotech.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of National Security and its Bureau of Immigration are now investigating the matter and will have results ready next week, Cabreros said.
The 23 arrived in Cebu last Wednesday, a month after they were detained.
Meanwhile, more workers are complaining against BGWPA for its failure to give them legitimate work in Trinidad and Tobago. One complainant brought a photocopy of a letter signed by his colleagues also accusing BGWPA of lying to applicants about their salaries.
Elmer Taghap, 35, stayed in Tobago for a month last year and went home after he was not given a working permit
His companion, Genaro Franza, 42, still remains in Tobago and is receiving a salary way below the amount stated in the contract.
Another complainant, Jennifer Tan, 36, backed out but BGWPA allegedly did not return the $600 cash she paid the agency.
Promises
All three were promised work in a resort hotel in Tobago at P105 per hour, or approximately P20,000 a month. This didn’t happen, a sister of one of the complainants said yesterday.
Taghap was also allegedly threatened by said Leah Rama, executive director of Prime Global Inc., that he would not get reimbursements for his expenses and he would return home dead. Rama is based in Trinidad and Tobago and is involved in all BGWPA’s transaction there, they said.
The complainants are now waiting for their lawyer to finalize documents for the filing of charges against BGWPA.
Mandaue City Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna urged the placement agency to fulfill its promises to the workers.
He will also look into how the government allowed deployment of workers to Trinidad and Tobago without working permits. (KAB/OCP)
