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MANILA, Philippines -- The Filipina who filed a case against former Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations Lauro Baja, his wife, and his daughter for forced labor, trafficking, and slavery, among others paid P250,000 in exchange for chance to work in the United States, the Department of Foreign Affairs has said in a statement.
At the same time, the DFA expressed "concern" over the 15 charges filed against Baja and his family.
"The DFA is concerned about the allegations against former Ambassador Baja. The Philippines has been consistent in its position against trafficking, slavery and forced labor," it said.
"The department is rigorous in the observance of rules and regulations pertaining to the hiring of private staff of DFA personnel posted abroad and will examine measures to strengthen further the implementation of those regulations," it said.
In her complaint filed with the United States District Court in New
York, a copy of which was obtained by INQUIRER.net, Marichu Suarez Baoanan says Baja, Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN between 2003 and 2006, his wife Norma, and his daughter Elizabeth Facundo "conspired to lure" Baoanan to the US with "false promises" that she would get a job as a nurse.
This, according to the complaint, constitutes human trafficking.
In previous interviews, Baja said Baoanan might have been motivated to file a case against him because she wanted to stay on and work in the US.
In the same complaint, Baoanan, a nursing graduate from the Unciano
Colleges and General Hospital, said Mrs. Baja, who owns the Labaire
International Travel Inc., originally asked her to pay P500,000 purportedly to pay for air fare, visa, and authorization to work as nurse in the US.
Labaire, with offices in Makati City, is a travel agency, not a recruitment agency registered with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.
Baoanan said she paid P50,000 to Mrs. Baja on Nov. 30, 2005; P100,000 to Labaire office on Jan. 4, 2006; and another P100,000
still to the Labaire on Jan. 9, 2006.
According to the complaint, Baoanan said she left for the US on
Jan. 12, 2006 and worked for the Bajas as a domestic helper from January 13 to April 13 of the same year.
She alleged that the Bajas forced her to work, usually 126 hours a week, in payment of the P250,000 balance she was not able to pay.
Baoanan also said the Bajas made her sleep in a basement, confiscated her passport, and forbade her to leave the house alone.
The 15 charges against the Bajas are: forced labor; trafficking with respect to peonage, slavery, involuntary servitude, or forced labor; slavery, peonage, involuntary servitude; unlawful conduct with respect to documents in furtherance of trafficking, peonage, slavery, involuntary servitude, and forced labor;
Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization act;
Alien Tort Claims Act; federal minimum wage violation; state minimum wage violation; unlawful deduction from wages; state overtime violation; spread of hours violation; fraud; negligent misrepresentation; conversion; and conspiracy.
