Pinay maid in Jeddah who couldn’t speak English sent home by employer


A Filipina domestic helper in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was sent home by her employer after only several weeks of employment because of her failure to speak and understand English.
"Hindi po ako marunong, ni isa po, pag sinasabihan ako ng how are you hindi ko rin po maisagot. Yuko na lang po ako," said Joan (not her real name) when interviewed by GMA News at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO).
Joan arrived in Saudi Arabia on the last week of January.
According to Joan, because of poverty, she only finished Grade 2. She said she has been living with a man since she was 15 and that her live-in partner is now in jail over drug-related charges.
Joan said this was the reason why she decided to try her luck abroad as a domestic helper.
Asked on how she applied for an overseas job if she doesn't understand English, Joan said she was assisted by her recruiter and that all she did was sign papers
Because of this, Labor Attaché Nasser Mustafa urged recruitment agencies to thoroughly scrutinize applicants, especially those recommended by their agents.
"Dapat suriing mabuti ng mga recruitment agencies ang mga recommended ng kanilang mga agent," Mustafa said.
"Kailangan on top of the situation sila sa pagre-recruit nila dahil kapag nagkaroon ng problema ay hindi naman ang agent nila ang mananagot dito kundi ang recruitment agency nila."
Mustafa said aside from problems with the English language, some Filipina domestic helpers they have encountered also could not perform household chores properly, while some were minors.
Mustafa said recruitment agencies should be discerning with their recruits. —Ronaldo Concha/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