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MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Inter-Agency Council on Anti-Trafficking should investigate former Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations Lauro Baja for illegal recruitment and human trafficking, a recruitment association said Wednesday.
Raul De Vera Jr., president of the Associated Agencies Accredited to Cyprus, said that if the accusations against Baja, his wife Norma, and his daughter Elizabeth Facundo were true, they could have violated Philippine laws.
"Is it because he's a retired ambassador and a consultant of [Senate President] Manuel Villar that he is untouchable? This is an outrageous situation involving a Filipino, mind you, a Filipino ambassador tasked with protecting the interest of Filipinos around the world,? De Vera said in an interview with INQUIRER.net.
?How can we show that we are serious about helping our own people if we let it
pass?" he said.
Marichu Suarez Baoanan, a nurse who ended up working as a domestic helper for the Baja family in New York for three months in 2006, accused the Bajas of 15 violations of United States laws before a US court.
In a phone interview, Baja denied that his wife's travel agency was engaged in recruitment. He said Labaire only provided the ticket to Baoanan.
"There is no illegal recruitment. It was not even a recruitment because she was to work for me. The contract was between me and her. As a DFA official posted abroad, you're allowed [to have maids]," he said.
"There is no human trafficking. [Baoanan] was issued an official passport following DFA rules. She got to the United States following US laws. Por Diyos por santo (In God's name), there was no human trafficking," he said.
At the same time, Baja said he has not decided on what legal action to take, saying he has yet to receive a copy of the complaint. "Technically, it has not been served yet."
Baja said that his lawyer in the US thinks that Baoanan may have filed the complaint to prolong her stay and work in the US.
"I don't think she could do something like this on her own. I think someone is behind this," he said.
De Vera, who is also president of the Cherub Manpower Inc., said that the government, particularly the POEA and IACAT, should also look into Baoanan's accusations.
These government agencies should investigate because, "Number 1, a poor Filipina is involved. Why are they not acting on it?? he said.
?Number 2, if the worker, regardless of how he or she is hired, ended up working as a household worker, and as such should not be allowed to pay for her ticket. Not one centavo, according to POEA rules,? De Vera said.
?Number 3, if out of necessity, [Baja's travel agency Labaire Travels] should have referred the recruitment to a POEA-licensed agency to process her documents," he added.
"This is in total violation of Republic Act 8042 (The Migrant Workers Act), which prohibits recruitment agencies from becoming part of travel agencies," he said.
The POEA immediately suspends the license of a recruitment agency that does not produce within 48 hours the return ticket of a deployed worker who cuts short a work contract, De Vera said.
But he lamented that while the government has been very strict with legal placement agencies, it has not been attending to the illegal activities of those that are not POEA registered.
A check with the law also shows that its Section 8 prohibits officials and employees of the Department of Labor and Employment, the POEA, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, or the Department of Foreign Affairs from engaging in the business of recruiting migrant workers. The prohibition extends to relatives within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity.
Both houses of Congress have already signified their intention of investigating the case.
