Philippines Helpers - New Direct Hire Policies

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  1. #1

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    Philippines Helpers - New Direct Hire Policies

    Looks like several changes have been made over the last few days to the amount of information and various paperwork that potential employers will need to submit.

    PHILCONGEN-HK

    More information is available here from the AP Mission for Migrants:

    Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants official website

    I see the following as a huge problem area for many folks ....

    POLO will then inform the employer about the decision. If it is approved, then POLO will verify the contracts together with the following documents to be submitted personally by the employer at Counter 16:

    a. Duly notarized Employer’s Undertaking obtained from Counter 16

    b. Certificate of worker coverage under a performance bond (salary rate x 3months)

    c. Certificate of repatriation bond (5000 USD).

    d. Certificate of medical insurance.

    e. Photocopy of airline ticket or original Ticket Exchange Voucher (TEV) one-way (Philippines to Hong Kong) with open date;
    Also

    PERSONAL APPEARANCE of the employer is a must for over-the-counter (Counter 16) employment contract processing.
    Any ideas on what all of this really means?

    Does it mean that is now just easier to hire through an agency (which presumably has arrangements with the consulate?)
    Last edited by KnowItAll; 15-02-2008 at 10:15 AM.

  2. #2

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    It is a great shame that The Philippines is controlled by people whose only interest is in lining their own pockets to the greatest extent possible. This is yet another example.


  3. #3

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    You could still hire a specific person through an agency though, so I guess that would be the easiest route - just go to the agency and say I want to hire X.


  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by PDLM:
    It is a great shame that The Philippines is controlled by people whose only interest is in lining their own pockets to the greatest extent possible. This is yet another example.
    Although I generally agree with you on the dear leaders (past, present and no doubt future) of the Philippines, I think this is part of a campaign to get rid of direct hire to reduce abuse. I know one DH direct hire who gets paid 2000 per month, last month only 1000, and then the employer pays 500 per month to the person who introduced them. If they have to go through an agency there is more chance of stopping this sort of thing.

  5. #5

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    I agree on the non-payment of salaries part.

    What about the re-patriation bond?

    Unfortunately, no information on where one gets such a bond.


  6. #6

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    Well, it makes the hiring of Indonesians more attractive still and as we are already seeing the number of Indo amahs will continue to increase.

    I'm afraid I have little time for some of the Agencies in HK. I have my doubts about some and have heard some horror stories about the way they treat some of the girls and the extortionate amounts of money some girls have to pay to the agents to get their passports back etc.

    There are too many fingers in the pie.


  7. #7

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    You pay direct to the consulate so I have heard. And I don't think it's there to prevent abuse either. There are already safeguards in place to repatriate, the OWWA for example. There are POEA guidelines. But as with everything it's weighed down by incompetence and pocket lining and never works. So some dumb-ass comes up with yet another way of making money, either to go through agencies who are in the consulate pocket or pay a repatriation bond which we already know will not work. The agencies......well you can already see that the costs for processing will more than double shortly, and to add to the pain this will also be in place for contract renewals. Fair to either DH or employer?

    There are many safeguards in place to protect DH is HK and there are many convictions each year. If someone does not get paid there are channels which the DH can take. These new rules will have no effect on people who underpay at all and in fact this will dramatically affect the amount of Philippinas here in HK who will be replaced by other nationalities whose agencies and consulates are even more shady.


  8. #8

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    Actually I have seen this discussed elsewhere and someone dropped a good link which explains things a bit more clearly

    Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants official website


  9. #9

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    >> some girls have to pay to the agents to get their passports
    >> back etc.

    A digression ... but cant you just report to the consulate that you've lost your passport?


  10. #10

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    jaykay : awesome resource.

    This means that a prospective Hong Kong employer directly hiring a Filipino domestic worker, for example, has to shell out about US$6,320 or approximately HK$50,000 as bonds (US$1,320 for the three-month salary performance bond and US$5,000 for the repatriation bond).
    Aside from being the source of OFW woes, recruitment agencies even aggravate the situation of abused migrant workers. There have been many cases wherein a worker whose rights have been violated is dispatched back to the Philippines by the recruitment agency instead of being provided with the needed assistance.


    Distressed migrants are oftentimes left to fend for themselves. If they approach the PCG, they will be directed to the agencies. If they go to the agencies, either they are directed to the airport or asked to seek help from the government.
    Last edited by KnowItAll; 15-02-2008 at 10:11 AM.

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