Recruiter failed to report slain OFW's maltreatment complaint — House labor panel chair

MANILA, Philippines — The Filipina domestic worker killed in Kuwait reported to her recruiter that she was being maltreated, according to the chair of the House Committee on Labor and Employment.

Rep. Eric Pineda (1-Pacman party-list), said Filipina worker Jeanelyn Villavende had already filed a complaint as early as last September. She died in late December.

Villavende was deployed to Kuwait in July but her initial complaint was more about delayed payments, according to the lawmaker. 

The Filipina worker's agency, 5-Star Manpower, acted on her complaint but did not report it to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Pineda told ANC's "Headstart" Monday.

The agency's Kuwaiti counterpart went to the house of Villavende's employer and was allowed to speak to the Filipina worker.

Pineda also said in the television interview that Villavende was allowed to speak to 5-Star Manpower owner Reynaldo Madamba over the phone.

"She (Villavende) narrated that the employer already allowed her to leave in January but somehow she also told Mr. Madamba that she was being maltreated," Pineda said.

POEA could have coordinated with Kuwaiti government

The lawmaker added that Madamba should have reported Villavende's case to the POEA so that the government agency would have made a representation to Kuwait and conduct a rescue.

The Philippines and Kuwait signed an agreement in 2018 committing to, among other things, "take legal measures against erring employers, domestic workers, Kuwaiti recruitment or Philippine recruitment agencies for any violation of employment contract provisions, applicable laws, rules and regulations of both Parties."

The parties also agreed to "provide a mechanism of inspection and monitoring of the level of care offered to the domestic workers through official authorities in Kuwait."

Pineda on Monday said: "Villavende died on December 30. Until now, there is no official communication from Kuwait on her death or an autopsy report."

The Department of Labor and Employment has expanded its partial deployment ban to Kuwait to cover household workers, both new hires and those with expired contracts.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III earlier said the death of Villavende "is a clear violation" of the 2018 agreement that sought to protect the rights and welfare of Filipino workers in the Gulf state. — Patricia Lourdes Viray

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