POEA: Maids must have FB accounts

MANILA, Philippines - Techie or not, all Filipino domestic workers abroad are now required to have a Facebook account as part of the government’s efforts to monitor their working conditions.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has required the use of Facebook to establish a communication platform for domestic workers, recruitment agencies and the government.

The POEA has also required all recruitment agencies to have their Facebook accounts and share these with domestic workers they deployed.

“The account can also be used to prevent dispute between household service workers and their employers, or the worker can endorse their complaint to the POEA and recruitment agencies through the FB account,” POEA chief Hans Cacdac said.

“The creation and maintenance of Facebook account will also be required for the processing of the household service workers and the POEA will also monitor the agencies’ compliance through their account,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Association of Medical Clinics for Overseas Workers Inc. (AMCOW) yesterday announced that the government has finally stopped the Gulf Countries Council Accredited Medical Clinics Association (GAMCA)’s monopoly of the medical examination of Middle East-bound Filipino workers.

AMCOW president Roderick Atienza said concerned government agencies are set to issue a joint circular that will allow Middle East-bound workers to have their medical examination at the clinic of their choice.