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She is one a new bree of highly skilled Filip workers, trained in everything from dealing wit challenging behavior to emergenci Lara Clima looks at ... 24 November 2006 news fe Imagine this: you have just sent an important e-mail, written down the details on a check, tapped your grocery list on your mobile phone, and now you’re driving to school to pick up junior from music class. If you think it couldn’t be you, think again. Chances are, there are already a handful of multiskilled Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong and in many parts of the world. When the new skills certification program of the Department of Labor takes off, the reinvention of the overseas Filipino worker will also have kicked into high gear. The program aims to equip OFWs with the skills to further cement their competitiveness, project a more positive image to the market and eliminate a constant source of abuse stemming from poor training. Under the “supermaid” certification program, domestic helper contracts will not be processed unless applicants have acquired a certificate of competency from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) and a certificate of completion from the <strong>Overseas</strong> Workers Welfare Administration of its countryspecific language and culture orientation. In return, the “supermaid” will get a guaranteed minimum salary of US$400 per month and no deductions on her pay, according to the POEA. “For a start, this will cut the number of inexperienced, ill-trained and undocumented workers who are most prone to abuse by recruiters and employers,” Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said. The notion of a “supermaid” came up when the country was grappling with the repatriation of thousands of workers from war-torn Lebanon. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo started talking about the “supermaid” program after hearing about the plight of domestic helpers among the Beirut evacuees. At the same time, Secretary Brion announced reforms in “ It’s an eye-opener. Lahat ‘yan kayang magawa nating mga Pilipino. MILA DOLORICO Former Hong Kong domestic helper the deployment of domestic helpers. These include skills upgrade, orientation courses on country-specific culture and language, job site protection, requiring employers to pay for the cost of deployment, and increasing the minimum salary to a level commensurate to their competencies. The reform pegs the minimum basic wage for Filipino domestic helpers at $400 a month – slightly under the prevailing minimum in Hong Kong, the benchmark for trained and highly prepared FDHs. The new policy also makes illegal the industry practice of deducting one month’s salary to cover the applicant’s placement fee. The age threshold has been raised to 25, and since the “supermaid” training program makes household services certification an entry requirement, FDHs must also be high school graduates, able to communicate in both oral and written English. Not everyone, however, is excited about the coming of the “supermaid”. The Federated Associations of Th of su Manpower Exporters has complained that it was not consulted on the minimum wage increase. The consensus among some labor recruiters is that raising the minimum wage would increase the likelihood of illegal deployment and drive employers to other markets such as Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Thailand. That’s
ature filipino globe 25 of d ino h es. co e making permaid no cause for worry, says POEA Administrator Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz. “The market will correct itself in a short while,” she said. “Besides, FDHs deserve a better deal. Let’s not race against other countries for positions that pay US$100 to US$150,” she said. “The helpers we will be sending are better equipped and more highly skilled.” How’s that for defying Third World stereotypes of the domestic helper? “It’s an eye-opener,” Mila Dolorico, a former Hong Kong domestic helper, told Filipino Globe. “Lahat ‘yan kayang magawa nating mga Pilipino,” said Dolorico, who worked for eight years in Hong Kong before returning home in 2004. ‘Manager’ si Mana Sayong sa bahay nila Noon pa man ay supermaid na si Rosario Feniza (kanan). Manager and papel niya sa bahay ng mag-asawang retirado, na nagmamay-ari ng hotel at restaurants sa Hong Kong at ibang bansa. “Ako na ang dumidiskarte sa maraming bagay, mula sa budget hanggang sa renovation ng bahay at mga handaan,” sabi niya. Dating guro si Feniza, na kilala ng mga kasamahan bilang Mana Sayong, mula sa barangay Mantang, Taft, Eastern Samar. “Kamag-anak ang turing nila sa akin at ‘yan din ang turing ko sa kanila,” wika niya. Sa kabila niyan, propesyunal ang kanilang pagtutunguhan. “Binigyan nila ako na laya na makapagdesiyon sa maraming bagay na may kinalaman sa bahay. Pati mga anak nila, ipinaubaya na rin ang mag-aalaga sa kanila.” May buntot na responsibilidad ang ganitong sitwasyon. “Mahirap din dahil nasa labas sila ng Hong Kong three months at a time at madalas ‘yun. Obviously, I am doubly responsible for the household when they’re away,” sabi niya. May katumbas din na fringe benefits ang ganitong sitwasyon. Talo pa ni Mana Sayong ang turista pagdating sa biyahe. Nakarating na siya sa France, Italy, London, US atbp.“Sa France, ang hiniling ko lang sa kanila na makapunta ako sa Lourdes. Hindi ako nagdalawang salita.” Sa katulad niya, di malayong may oportunidad na naghihintay sa ibang lugar. Ngunit sa ngayon, makaraan ang 20 taong paninilbihan, masaya sa kanyang employer. “Pag-nagretiro daw ako, magretiro ako sa kanila.” BRAD CAMPOS
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