Migrant Focus Magazine: Issue #2

Migrant's Focus Magazine: Issue #2

Profile # 2

The Story of Maya

Maya comes from a quiet barrio in Abra's capital, Bangued. She is the fourth child in a family of six. She has 4 sisters and a brother. In the early 70s, there was a massive recruitment of construction workers to go to the Middle East. At that time, Maya's father was working for a big construction company, AG&P. He was one of the many construction workers who were recruited to work in Saudi Arabia. Maya was not even born then, only her eldest sister, Emma. Her mother was left to take care of a very young family.

Maya's father visited home after every two years. Maya was born in 1980. When Maya's father went home in the early 80's, he did not want to go back to Saudi Arabia, but assessing the situation then, he knew he had to go back. He thought of the next best thing, he bought his family a vegetable farm. And he endured a few more years in Saudi Arabia. But when he went back home in the late 80s again, he made up his mind not to go back anymore. He bought two tricycles and made sure that the vegetable farm he bought would provide them enough to survive.

Maya finished her secondary studies and went to a catholic university. She took Bachelor of Science in Commerce. But on her first semester, she got pregnant and was forced to stop going to school. And after she had her baby, she was not able to find any job. She stayed home and took care of her baby.

But one day, Maya heard an announcement on the radio that there was a recruiter in town who would "help" people get jobs abroad. The recruiter was allowed to conduct her interviews in a room in the government offices in the town center. More than 200 applicants went in to inquire. The requirements included a series of interviews, medical examinations, and trainings. The applicants were screened according to their qualifications which would make a college graduate fail. They only wanted ones that do not have a college degree, those from the ages of 20-33, first-time overseas workers. A big plus if the applicants knew how to take care of a young baby and a sickly elderly.

The condition they were given was that, the applicants pay the P6,000 right at the first interview, if they fail in that stage, that they would be refunded their money. But if they pass, that they would need to pay the remaining P20,000 and the agency will look for an employer to sign a contract.

That was what happened when Maya went for the interview. She was asked to pay P26,000 all in all. And she was also told that when she gets into Hong Kong, she will have to pay another HK$2,700 which was payable in three months. Maya did not have any money then. Whatever her husband earned from driving a tricycle, was just enough for the two of them and their baby. She then borrowed P35,000 from her uncle who recently retired from GSIS, a government agency.

Maya was taken to Wellcome Employment Center Ltd. Located in Pillar Village Almanza Las Piñas which has a counterpart in HK in Central. On June 5, the agency informed Maya that an employer has already signed a contract. Maya left for Manila on July 13, and there she was told that she needed to undergo training for three weeks, which she did. After the training, the agency told her to wait for the approval of her visa. While she waited, she went back to Abra. A few weeks after, she called the agency and she was told that she needed another medical examination. The result was excellent, she was fit to work. She was again told to wait for her flight to be scheduled. She again went home to Abra.

She was there barely a few days when the agency told her that her employer has sent a fax message to the agency requesting for Maya to undergo an intensive training for one week. Intensive training meant she had to get used to that exact set-up she will be in when she gets to Hong Kong which included living with a family and performing domestic work without any pay. Maya's so-called hands-on experience was with the recruiter's family. Maya had to wake up early to prepare breakfast and ready the children to school. She had to do everything that a domestic helper should do. Only difference is that, it was just training. But Maya knew this was still part of the process of recruitment. She was determined to endure anything that is required of her, as long as it guarantees her a job in Hong Kong. She understood the hardships and pain that went with earning dollars because her older sister Emma also worked in Hong Kong.

August 25 was her flight date. There were twelve of them from the same agency who were scheduled to fly on the same day.

In HK, they were picked up at the airport by a representative from the agency and were brought to the agency. She thought that they could rest before they start work but her employers went to the agency that same day and took Maya with them and later that day she started work.

After a week, she was given $800 for the first week she had worked. She took a day off but she had to stay at the agency for most of the day. After repeatedly enduring her ward's cruel hands, she decided to leave her employment. P26,000 for two months and seven days of employment. She has taken the case to the Minor Employment Compensation Adjudication Board. Maya now faces more months of unemployment due to the case. Maya no longer has a job. She had to take the burden of thinking where to get the money to pay her debt and how at this stage would her 3-year old baby and husband survive without her earnings.

Maya and the recruitment agency responsible for facilitating her employment are due to meet at the Philippine Consulate very soon, to try and have her P26,000 refunded, if not half then maybe just a small portion of it.

Maya has no idea how long it will take before her case is settled. But she is still hopeful that she finds an employer very soon.

She does not even know if the recruitment agency would show up at their meeting. She just knows that it is so unfair that these people can keep doing the same scams and still get away with it. All she heard from other overseas Filipino workers who went through the same agency is that the agency has built a new office building right beside their office in Las Piñas. She has also heard numerous news about the rest of the ladies whose employment was facilitated by the same agency have have suffered the same fate as hers. Those who were brave enough went through labor cases but those that weren't went back to the Philippines with nothing.

Countless recruitments are done in many parts of the country. Applicants do not even have to go to the country capital to have an interview. Recruitment agencies conduct their interviews in schools and universities in the provinces. And in Maya's case, she met her recruiter in the provincial government office in Abra. If this incident happened to Maya, and these agencies that pretend to "help" people get a job abroad can do this to Maya, it can happen to anyone who wishes to bring better lives to their families. Like Maya who had to loan so much money to get to Hong Kong, and was only employed for two months will keep going back abroad.

Search our site:

1995 - 2001 (c) copyright
The Mission for Filipino Migrant Workers (HK) Society
e-mail: mission@migrants.net
website: http://www.migrants.net