Quezon City puts up one-stop shop for police clearance

MANILA, Philippines - “Alarmed” by the crime incidents involving or linked to house helpers, the police in Quezon City will start putting up a registry similar to a database that will store information about domestic workers employed by households in the city.

Quezon City Police District director Chief Superintendent Elmo San Diego said the “one-stop-shop for police clearan-ces” will help homeowners easily verify the reliability and trustworthiness of helpers or family drivers they employ.

Starting today, a team of policemen will be going around North Susana Executive Village in Barangay Old Balara to conduct processing of police clearances for helpers and family drivers. It will then be replicated in other villages in the city.

In a statement, San Diego said the idea is anchored on existing Ordinance No. SP 1472, S-2004, which enjoins village officials to undertake registration of domestic workers. “This project will not only benefit employers but will certainly help us in any investigations of housemaids or family drivers involved in nefarious activities. By keeping their records, it will be easier on our part to track down erring kasambahays or even drivers,” San Diego said.

QCPD deputy director for operations Senior Superintendent Audie Arroyo said among the things they will be getting are the photographs of the helpers, their finger prints, previous employment record and even the place of origin. In an interview, Arroyo said the project was an offshoot of reports of crimes involving household helpers.

“We were alarmed by these incidents. Sometimes they are the ones who do the crimes. There are also instances when they give syndicates tips (to victimize their employers),” Arroyo told reporters.

He cited incidents of burglary, wherein the burglars are in cahoots with the maids. He also cited the acts of those employing the “dugo-dugo” modus operandi, in which a person would call up the residence and pretend to be the employer, mentioning of a supposed accident he got involved in. The caller would ask for money to fix things related to the accident like hospital bills and settlement with the other party and tell the maid to bring cash and valuables. In some cases, the maids are suspected to be in connivance with the con artists.