15 Pinoy human trafficking victims in Florida get T visas - See more at: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/297056/pinoyabroad/news/15-pinoy-human-trafficking-victims-in-florida-get-t-visas#sthash.ksTGsGwd.dpuf

The Florida 15 victims of human trafficking have been granted T visas and employment certification cards, according to their lawyer.

 Lawyer Felix Vinluan said the 15 men and women won the first round of their case against their former employer, Jose “Jojo” Villanueva, proprietor of San Villa Ship Management Co.

 In a press statement, the litigants said Villanueva failed to renew their H2-B employment visas without their knowledge, leading them to overstay in the U.S. without proper documentation.

 The workers were recruited by the San Villa to work at the W Hotel in Miami, Florida as housekeepers and managers from 2008 to 2009. While employed, they said they were subjected to the following:

 • They were required to pay up to $7,000 each for placement fees
• Their pay rate was supposed to be $16-17 per hour, but the agency only gave them $6 per hour without overtime pay
• Many were paid only once a month and paychecks were issued very late
• The agency failed to renew their H2-B visas leading some of them to be arrested with pending deportation cases.

 The group now known as F-15 sought the assistance of the Anakbayan NY-NJ grassroots organization, which put them in touch with Vinluan and the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns. The continuing investigation led to the approval of their T visas in the beginning of February 2013.

 The T Visa is a four-year non-immigrant status that allows victims to remain in the U.S. while they assist in an investigation or prosecution of human trafficking, according to the USCIS website. It also enables recipients to petition for family members.

 “The efforts to achieve justice for the F-15 are far from over,” Anakbayan said in a statement. “Villanueva and his cohorts have yet to pay back wages and costs to all damages imposed on the trafficked workers. Villanueva is currently in hiding from several civil lawsuits filed against him.” - The FilAm - See more at: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/297056/pinoyabroad/news/15-pinoy-human-trafficking-victims-in-florida-get-t-visas#sthash.ksTGsGwd.dpuf

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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

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