PHL defers ban on window cleaning by its workers in HK

HONG KONG — Philippine officials here have deferred the implementation of the ban on Filipino domestic helpers to clean the windows of their employer's flat in high-rise buildings.
The 30-day deferment, which came following a request from the Hong Kong labor officials, did not sit well with Filipino migrant leaders, who said they were "shocked" by it.
Hong Kong labor officials reportedly asked for a deferment to give them more time to study the ban and work out how to implement it
"We hope that whatever discussions and negotiations that will follow as a result of this deferment will include the workers, particularly the Asian Migrants' Coordinating Body (AMCB), who are the ones campaigning strongly on this issue," said Eman Villanueva of the AMCB and the Filipino Migrant Workers Union.
"We hope that the Consulates of the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and others will stand by the position of their constituencies and will not give in to the pressures exerted by the HKSAR government, employment agencies and employers' associations," Villanueva added.
In a memo dated October 1, Philippine Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre, in a memo issued October 1, directed all employment agencies accredited by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) to include a provision in contracts of Filipino domestic helpers starting October 15 banning the latter from cleaning the exterior of windows in high-rise buildings.
Employment agencies and employers' associations, however, expressed misgivings over the ban, saying that it was not discussed with them and there were other ways to ensure the safety of domestic workers while cleaning the windows.
A meeting between the HK SAR officials, POLO, and the Philippine Consulate General about the ban is scheduled this week. —KBK, GMA News

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