POEA names, suspends employer of OFW scalded in Saudi
Philippine labor officials on Thursday meted more sanctions against the parties involved in the abuse of an overseas Filipino worker who was scalded with boiling water in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration on Thursday said the employer of the OFW as well as the Philippine and Saudi recruitment agencies that deployed her have been preventively suspended.
"An order of preventive suspension (OPS) had been served against these entities (Wednesday) after the POEA found strong evidence showing that they committed serious violations in processing the employment documents of OFW Pahima Alagasi Palacasi who was deployed as household service worker to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)," a post on POEA administrator Hans Leo Cacdac's Twitter account quoted Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz as saying on Thursday.
Ordered preventively suspended by the POEA for violating the 2002 POEA rules governing the recruitment and employment of land-based workers in the case of Palacasi were:
- A-M Phil. Professional Services Corporation
- Al Motkasses Recruitment Office/Almotkasses Office for Gen. Services
- Adil Akmad Badjuid
Cacdac said the case has been docketed and is now at the POEA Adjudication Office headed by Director Jeriel Domingo.
Images of Palacasi's badly burned body shocked many netizens after they were posted online.
Cacdac noted A-M Phil Professional Services Corporation will not be allowed participation in the overseas employment program while the case is pending.
“The names of the said agencies and employers shall be included in the POEA list of agencies/principals temporarily disqualified to participate in the overseas employment program while there is an ongoing investigation on the case of OFW Palacasi,” he added.
Investigation
The POEA order cited records showing A-M Phil. Professional Services Corp. and Al Motkasses Recruitment Office/Almotkasses Office for Gen. Services did not assist Palacasi after she suffered maltreatment by her employer.
“With the foregoing circumstances, we have reasonable grounds to believe that the respondents’ continued operation will result to further violation and circumvention of the 2002 POEA Rules and Regulations and exploitation of workers being recruited, deployed, or those already at the worksite,” the POEA said in its order.
Palacasi arrived in Riyadh last March, but suffered abuse from her male employer a few days after arriving at his house.
She was transferred to the house of the employer’s mother after the employer's wife refused to accept her when she came back from the Saudi Recruitment Agency (SRA).
“It was because of a simple misunderstanding between the OFW and the sponsor’s mother who does not speak English, which prompted the latter to pour boiling water on her,” the POEA said. —Joel Locsin/KBK, GMA News
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration on Thursday said the employer of the OFW as well as the Philippine and Saudi recruitment agencies that deployed her have been preventively suspended.
"An order of preventive suspension (OPS) had been served against these entities (Wednesday) after the POEA found strong evidence showing that they committed serious violations in processing the employment documents of OFW Pahima Alagasi Palacasi who was deployed as household service worker to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)," a post on POEA administrator Hans Leo Cacdac's Twitter account quoted Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz as saying on Thursday.
Ordered preventively suspended by the POEA for violating the 2002 POEA rules governing the recruitment and employment of land-based workers in the case of Palacasi were:
- A-M Phil. Professional Services Corporation
- Al Motkasses Recruitment Office/Almotkasses Office for Gen. Services
- Adil Akmad Badjuid
Cacdac said the case has been docketed and is now at the POEA Adjudication Office headed by Director Jeriel Domingo.
Images of Palacasi's badly burned body shocked many netizens after they were posted online.
Cacdac noted A-M Phil Professional Services Corporation will not be allowed participation in the overseas employment program while the case is pending.
“The names of the said agencies and employers shall be included in the POEA list of agencies/principals temporarily disqualified to participate in the overseas employment program while there is an ongoing investigation on the case of OFW Palacasi,” he added.
Investigation
The POEA order cited records showing A-M Phil. Professional Services Corp. and Al Motkasses Recruitment Office/Almotkasses Office for Gen. Services did not assist Palacasi after she suffered maltreatment by her employer.
“With the foregoing circumstances, we have reasonable grounds to believe that the respondents’ continued operation will result to further violation and circumvention of the 2002 POEA Rules and Regulations and exploitation of workers being recruited, deployed, or those already at the worksite,” the POEA said in its order.
Palacasi arrived in Riyadh last March, but suffered abuse from her male employer a few days after arriving at his house.
She was transferred to the house of the employer’s mother after the employer's wife refused to accept her when she came back from the Saudi Recruitment Agency (SRA).
“It was because of a simple misunderstanding between the OFW and the sponsor’s mother who does not speak English, which prompted the latter to pour boiling water on her,” the POEA said. —Joel Locsin/KBK, GMA News
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