DOLE won't intervene in HK deployment suspension

MANILA, Philippines - Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz Thursday said the Department of Labor and Employment will not intervene in the decision of member agencies of the Hong Kong Accredited Recruiters of The Philippines (SHARP) to suspend the deployment of Filipino household workers to Hong Kong.

SHARP is an association of Philippine recruitment agencies deploying HSWs to Hong Kong.

Baldoz made the statement in response to the reported moratorium that will be carried out by SHARP starting Friday.

She said the decision was reached after Fred Palmiery, SHARP president, presented before the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Governing Board the reasons for their action.

Palmiery  said service fees were collected from Filipino household workers by the group's Hong Kong counterpart agencies, which violated POEA Rules and Regulations as well as jeopardized the interest and welfare of OFWs.

The POEA Governing Board instructed the POEA to study the household workers market and to submit their findings and recommendations to the Board at the soonest time possible. The study will include consultations with all stakeholders namely, Philippine agencies deploying to Hong Kong, Hong Kong placement agencies, NGOs and the Hong Kong government.

In the meantime, the POEA, in close coordination with the Philippine Labor Office in Hong Kong, will continue to enforce the Household Reform Package which includes the “no placement policy” for all household service workers and impose the sanctions provided for in the rules.