When Shiela Endong, 33, a native of Zamboanga Sibugay was told by her sister’s friend that she knows a recruiter who can send her to UAE for work as a sales executive, she hesitated, but later on acquiesced, taking comfort in knowing that the recruiter is an acquaintance of a close family friend and thus, would not deceive her.
The recruiter who only spoke to her on the phone during the whole process of the recruitment, asked her to pay Ph2,300 (Dh166) for processing fees and Ph1,800 (Dh130) for medical fees. Nov. 12, 2016 was the day of her departure from the Philippines.
At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), her recruiter, who had earlier introduced herself only as a certain “Pie Valdez,” gave her and another recruit a piece of document each and were told that they have visas to enter the UAE. The document says: Tourist/Single-Short; validity Dec 31, 2016; Occupation: Sales Executive.
Having studied only up to high school, Endong didn’t really understand that the document provided her was not an employment visa at all.
The two recruits were then given a sketch of the airport where the immigration section is located. “Valdez,” the recruiter told them to find a certain room there when they reach that section. But they were instructed to look for it discreetly and not to talk to anyone or among themselves while they were still inside airport premises.
Endong and the other recruit followed the instructions by rote and were able to arrive at the room where an alleged Immigration officer checked their papers, stamped it and let them go on their way to their boarding gate.
They left the Philippines that day without incident. The recruiter, they said, paid for their plane ticket and visit visa.
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“Pagdating ko dito ng Dubai noong Nov.13, sinundo kami ng isang Pilipina na si ma’am Paula kasama ng kanyang boyfriend na ibang lahi,” recounted Endong.
“Pinapirma niya kami ng kontrata na nagsasabing housemaid ang magiging trabaho namin. Sabi niya ito lang daw muna tanggapin namin kasi wala, hindi pa available ang trabahong binanggit sa amin sa ’Pinas. Sabi ni ma’am Paula taga-agency daw sila,” she further narrated.
Paula said her employer made her work all day every day, with a little or no rest. She was made to pay for her own food and toiletries and was often passed from one household to the other. After seven months of enduring her ordeal and allegedly working illegally on visit visa, she decided to run away and seek help from fellow Filipinos.
Fortunately for Endong, someone referred her to an advocacy group calling itself, Kilusang Pagbabago – UAE Chapter. One of the leaders, Mimi Labrador Basan, brought and presented Endong to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III during the secretary’s dialogue with community leaders in Abu Dhabi on September 13 at the Dusit Thani Hotel.
After listening to Endong’s narration, the secretary promised to help her go home to the Philippines and get her unpaid salaries before leaving.
“Huwag kang mag-alala. Tutulungan ka naming makauwi sa inyo sa lalong madaling panahon. Papauwiin ka namin. Tutulungan ka namin.,” Bello told Endong, who pled to be taken back home.
Addressing the audience, the Labor chief said he will immediately look into the problems of illegal recruitment back home.
“Naniniwala ako na hindi nagyayari yan kung walang kinalaman ang Bureau of Immigration. Hindi makakalusot iyang kung walang mga connivance na immigration officer o employee. Kaya we will take this up with the Department of Justice,” he said.
In that same meeting, the Cooperation among Filipino Foreign Recruitment Agencies (CAFFRA), headed by Beth Fabic, volunteered to extend assistance to Endong, including her plane ticket back to the Philippines.
Endong told The Filipino Times, she is happy to leave her harrowing experiences behind and just live a simple, quite life with her husband and 10-year-old son back in Zamboanga Sibugay.
As of presstime, Endong was under the care of Kilusang Pagbabago – UAE Chapter. Fabic meantime said they were on stand-by for advice from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office-Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (POLO-OWWA) as to when CAFFRA can book Endong’s ticket.
