There has been an increase in the number of OFWs lodging complaints of overcharging
against employment agencies lately, according to the Consulate.
Vice Consul Fatima Quintin, head of the assistance to nationals section, told The SUN she
had noticed the uptrend in recent weeks.
Quintin could not give an estimate of the number of complainants who went to her office
for help each month, but she said that on average she was receiving three to five complaints on a
weekday.
More complainants arrive on Sundays, when most domestic workers take their day off, the
vice consul said.
"Dumarami ang nagpa-file ng complaints ngayon. Ang nakikita ko ngayon, kahit yung
mga matagal nang nandito at still working, nagku-complain sila maski sa mga previous agencies
nila," said Quintin.
She said even complaints about overcharging cases that happened some time back were
still being accepted and addressed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, the
regulator of the employment agency industry.
She said the rise in complaints was a hint that the domestic workers are now more aware
of their rights, with constant reminders they get from the Consulate and from the post-arrival
orientation seminars.
And the claims vary in amounts. Quintin said said she knew of three cases where the
workers were chasing their former agents for claims of under Php10,000. "Sabi ko, why not? I mean,
pera nyo naman iyan," Quintin said.
She could not give a ballpark figure of the complaints her office had received so far. But
she pointed to POLO, to which she endorses notarized complaints, for the figures.
But when The SUN asked Labor Attache Nenita Garcia to confirm if there had been a rise in
the number of complaints against overcharging, she said the volume was just normal.
She said POLO was collecting the complaints and shipping them in bundles to the POEA
for action. But she would not give an estimate of the number of cases already sent to the agency
regulator.
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