Involuntary Servitude

August 26, 2007

Stories of overseas Filipino workers being abused and exploited by foreigners all over the world are common. Women OFW's are particularly more vulnerable than their male counterparts—not to say that they are weaker, but they are less physically agressive and some countries are still backward in their view regarding women as inferior to men and thus, abuse and exploitation comes easier due to social tolerance. 

 

This boring Sunday morning, I Googled 'filipina' and a most interesting and cringe-worthy article from The International Herald Tribune turned up in the search. It's about a Filipina OFW who went to San Francisco in 2005 to work as a nanny for a vice consul in the Philippine Consulate General of the Philippines. When she arrived, the vice consul told her that she will be working for his in-laws in New Jersey. They took her passport and was forbidden to leave the house without any household members. She spent the next two years being paid only a small  fraction of the salary indicated in her contract until New Jersey labor officials came to investigate her case.

 

 "For two full years, the defendant controlled and exploited this victim, taking advantage of her youth and immigrant status," Milgram [the Attorney General] said. "Human trafficking takes many forms, but the common thread is exploitation of the vulnerable, particularly women and children."

 

LIke I mentioned earlier, stories of OFW's being abused by foreigners are common. But this story, besides being uncommon, is particularly embarrassing. A Filipina goes abroad to work for Filipinos where she ends up being exploited by fellow Filipinos. It's the typical overseas domestic helper story (minus, thank the gods, the battering) but here the villains are different—you don't see the smelly Arab or the hysterical Singaporean housewife, just a vice consul for the Philippines and his relatives. Which, I believe, is so much worse.

 

The OFW's are considered as the modern heroes of our country. They sacrifice and endure so much to help their families back home and as an effect, they help maintain our economy through the millions of tax money acquired from their remittances by the government. The least we can show them is respect and acknowledgment of their hardships. I guess it is reasonable to expect this from foreigners, but I believe that this respect and acknowledgment is mandatory for Filipinos. Sadly, this little story shows that in the situation where it matters most, we do not take care of our own.


Posted by lizette at 7:00 am | permalink

Previous Comments

Omg…

Despite the topic at hand, this is a beautiful write-up. Was this published anywhere?

Posted by GeoRge at August 26, 2007, 6:20 pm

being an OFW, i hate reading this kind of stuffs. abuses, taken advantaged of… i mean, how can we fight these? by being vigilant and alert i guess.

too bad. a fellow filipino of a higher position took advantage of the girl’s situation. grr.

Posted by totomai at August 26, 2007, 8:22 pm

this is really bad…hearing stories like this makes me ponder of da situation of fellow pinoyz today…

Posted by saturn at August 27, 2007, 1:28 am

george: wui napabisita ka? haha. no, it hasn’t been published anywhre except here.

totomai: grrr talaga. my dad is an OFW too, you know.

saturn: pinoys do worse things to each other here at home.

Posted by lizette at August 27, 2007, 4:52 am

Hi liz! Nice read. As usual.

I especially despise those unappreciative brats when asked what their parents do.

“Ay…OFW lang.”

Lang????!!!!

Posted by rex at August 27, 2007, 11:30 am

To Saturn and Lizette: Agreed, agreed. Heard about this write-up that infuriated everyone? Malu Fernandez eventually resigned from her post at Manila Standard Today because of it. I haven’t read the article but the Inquirer quoted from it and it’s horrible. King DJ logan (of Max FM) was all like, “she’s a lame excuse for a human being” and all.

I sometimes wonder whether we’re all concerned about the welfare of the people that keep our economy afloat, or leave them alone to be raped waiting for money to be sent.

Posted by Niko at August 27, 2007, 4:37 pm

rex, since my dad is also an OFW, i can’t bear to say OFW lang. i know what he’s putting up with in Saudi and it’s not a goddamn fieldtrip.

niko, the malu fernandez shiznit is something blown totally out of proportion. i’ve read her original articles, and for someone who writes badly and has a sorry sense of humor, she doesn’t deserve the uproar and the name calling.

if there’s something i learned from the brouhaha, it’s that bloggers are OA sometimes.

Posted by lizette at August 28, 2007, 9:42 pm

I also despise the stereotype that all OFWs are either house help or GROs. OFWs are some of the hardest working breed of Filipinos.

Well written Lizette…

Posted by Jigs at August 28, 2007, 10:13 pm

thanks pare. ;)

Posted by lizette at August 28, 2007, 10:54 pm

alam mo, i just realized ngayon lang habang binabasa blog mo..yung sinabi ni green goblin kay spiderman..

na people love heroes, pero mas gusto daw nila ang pagbagsak ng mga ito..

fuck!

heroes belong to fairytales i guess and not to economics and history..

Posted by deve at August 29, 2007, 12:36 pm

speaking of malou, though I already nuked her…

she is the perfect person to represent a logic of the unused logic, quote

“Although it may sound elitist to you the fact is this country is built on the foundation of haves, have-nots and wannabes. One group will never get the culture of the other. Although I could mention that it is easier to understand someone who has a lower socioeconomic background that would entail a whole other page and frankly I don’t want to be someone to bridge the gap between socioeconomic classes.”

–the sacrificial lamb that defies the lip services which all of us are prone to deliver. only a few of us want to bridge the gap between socioeconomic classes…and if we do, it is mostly personal, but not patriotic.

you’re right. oa…

Posted by dave at August 29, 2007, 12:45 pm

Well we do live to be exaggerated sometimes… we blog because most of us can’t always get our thoughts straight. Or try hard to be patriotic.

It’s just a quote, anyhow.

Posted by Niko at August 29, 2007, 10:18 pm

dave, i think she just puts her points across poorly. branboy insults just about everyone and she gets away with it.

niko, well, read the whole thing and decide for yourself.

Posted by lizette at August 30, 2007, 1:33 am

Ei Liz and Niko, I saw it on TV patrol d other day and I was pissed…isa lang ang masasabi ko…be careful of what u say…that issue gives me headaches na…but like niko I havent read da article so I’ll check it out too…

Posted by saturn at August 31, 2007, 2:42 am

involuntary servitude as in this case is just an ordinary event in our country, and been and being committed by the department of government tasked to protect labor from such exploitation. like the assuming of jurisdiction of the labor disputes by the labor secretary forcing back employees to work against their will, yes liz, legally in the name of national interest…. very interesting isn’t it?

Posted by antonio l. buensuceso jr. at March 19, 2009, 3:40 am