DFA: Raise minimum age of outbound RP maids

MANILA, Philippines - After getting flak for proposing a mandatory psychological testing of outbound Filipino domestic workers, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) now wants the minimum age requirement for maids raised to 30 from 23.

Esteban Conejos Jr, DFA undersecretary for migrant workers affairs, made the proposal at an inter-agency meeting chaired by Labor Secretary Marianito Roque on Thursday.

According to a DFA statement, Conejos raised the minimum age requirement to ensure that aspiring Filipino domestic helpers "are emotionally and mentally prepared to face the challenges posed by employment abroad."

The Department of Labor and Employment is said to be considering Conejos' proposal, added the statement.

Conejos had earlier been criticized by migrant advocacy groups such as Migrante International for suggesting that all departing Filipino domestic helpers be subjected to mandatory psychiatric or psychological examinations.

"What a loony solution!" said Migrante International spokesperson Garry Martinez. "The tests are discriminatory against departing domestic workers (and) the psychiatric tests are (an) additional burden to OFWs and another reason for government to exact unreasonable fees from us."

The group on Tuesday trooped to the DFA national headquarters to warn Conejos against implementing the tests.

"The psych test is indicative of what Conejos will bring to the upcoming Global Forum on Migration Development in October. The government will merely play lip service to protecting and empowering migrants," said Martinez.

DFA spokesperson Claro Cristobal defended the department's proposal and said that the psychological test is only aimed at protecting the welfare of OFWs abroad.

"The psychological test is aimed at checking whether or not the coping mechanism of Filipino workers is well," Cristobal said.

"Even DFA and embassy officials undergo a mandatory psychological test before we are deployed to other countries. It is needed simply because it is very stressful overseas," he added. - GMANews.TV

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more