Councilor Jesus “Jay” Sangil said on Wednesday that the CDC should look into reports that Filipino workers, especially women, are subjected to diff erent abuses by their foreign employers including sexual molestation.
Sangil, who chairs the council’s committee on special economic zone, said he received complaints from a number of workers last week who were abused.
The alderman said the CDC’s customer relations department and its external affairs should investigate the illegal practice of some locators especially those into services like spa, massage parlors, restaurants, bars and other establishments operated and managed by foreigners.
Sangil said some of the workers complain of receiving salaries below the minimum wage, made to work 12 hours straight and worse suffer maltreatment from their employers.
Sangil also asked the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to investigate not only the said companies inside the Clark freeport but other businesses in the city as well.
He urged the CDC and DOLE to conduct periodic inspection on all locators and establishments both in Clark and in this city.
Sangil reminded employers that they should always adhere to the law and their contribution to the economy is not a license to exploit their workers.
“While we acknowledge their contribution to our economy and employment to our constituents, this does not mean that they now have a license to abuse their workers,” he said.
“Let us protect the rights of our workers,” he added noting that some of the complainants are receiving only P200 more or less per day which is way below the minimum wage.
Some of the workers said they are being treated inhumanely.
“Sir sobra ne pu kalupit kasi ing boss mi lalako nakami pu karapatan bilang tao. Lagi kami ma penalty at ala kami rin keng minimum (Sir our boss is too cruel he denies us our rights as human beings),” one of the complaining workers said.
“Pepagpirman dakami pu na minimum kami suweldo pero aliya po tutu ita. Adwa kami pipirman notebook metung tutu ya metung aliya po ampo den pung maging tip me maka voucher la po ali mi balu bakit (They made us sign a document stating that we are receiving minimum wage but that is not true. There are two notebooks that we sign, one is what we really get as our salaries and the other one is fake and also our tips from our customers are given to management who gives it to us in vouchers),” the workers said.
“Pag megkasakit kami at ali kami mekalub atin kami pung penalty P100 ampo magkasakit kaming kumang suweldo ta pong abe mi 3 weeks ne pong ali magsweldo kasi pu melagnat ya (If we get sick and unable to report for work, we get penalized P100 and we are also given a hard time in getting our salaries like our colleague who has not received her salary for three weeks now because she got sick with fever),” she rued.
“Itang metung sauna boy metalsikan yang darak mata ali ya mekalub dahil mengalbag ya mata anyang pepakit ne keng boss mi leko na ne po obra sabi na pu ning boss mi ala ya kanu pakialam nung masakit kami (Our sauna boy got something in his eye which made it swollen and when he showed it to our boss he fired him because our boss said he doesn’t care even if we get sick),” she lamented.
The workers complained that their boss is so cruel that their training turns into a nightmare most of the time. They also said even if it is not their job or obligation they are made to do it.
“Ita po palang ausan ming daddy sobra ya libi ne pung kapanyalat kareng maselang parte ning katawan mi (The one that we call daddy is so horny and often touch us in the most sensitive parts of our bodies),” she said.
