By Daisy CL Mandap
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| Y had to cover her luggage with a trash bag to protect her stuff from the heavy rain |
It was raining heavily on the evening of Jun 30, but this did not stop an employer from terminating the contract of Y, her Filipina domestic worker, then ordering her to leave immediately.
As if on purpose, the employer told the Filipina to leave just after midnight the next day, despite the hoisting of Storm Signal No 3 and a warning that a higher typhoon signal could be raised within hours.
Luckily, Y was referred to Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge the next day, so she was saved from having to spend another stormy night out on the street. Now she is fed, counseled and assured of help until she decides what to do next.
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
According to Bethune’s executive director Edwina Antonio, migrant workers who are ordered to leave in the middle of the night should call the police immediately.
Not only will they be assured of not being thrown out onto the street with nowhere to go, the police report would also help bolster whatever action they may want to take next.
“Kapag pinalabas ng madaling-araw, tawag agad ng pulis. Sila ang gagawa ng report na magdedetalye kung kailan, anong oras at ano ang sitwasyon ng worker nang siya ay pababain,” said Antonio.
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
(If you are driven out at dawn, call the police immediately. They will write up a report giving details as to when, what time and what was the condition of the worker when she was asked to leave).
Antonio also said it was unconscionable for the employer to have ordered the worker to leave that early as it was raining and so was doubly hard to move about and get a ride.
Their initial interview with Y showed she was actually relieved to have left the employer’s house as she was made to work under extremely difficult conditions, said Antonio.
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| HOW? PINDUTIN LANG ANG PICTURE |
For the entire year that she had worked for the employer, Y said she was only given dinner, which meant her spending for her breakfast and lunch with no food allowance or extra pay.
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| Antonio says the worker was not given food for breakfast and lunch |
When she started complaining, her employer reportedly dared her to serve a month’s notice, but since she was desperate to keep her job, she asked if she could make it a three-month notice. Irked, the employer told her to leave on the spot.
Y had no choice but to hurriedly pack her luggage, then wrap it with a black rubbish bag to prevent her clothes getting wet as it was raining heavily outside. She put her other belongings in a striped bag. As she had nowhere to go, she decided to spend the night in their building’s lobby.
The next day, she headed to North Point, where she was told there were a lot of cheap bed spaces in boarding houses run by Filipinos. Luckily it was a holiday, so there were a lot of domestic workers who were out and about, despite the bad weather.
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| Press for details |
Among them was Beth, a member of an organization affiliated with Migrante Hong Kong who noticed the worker pulling a heavy luggage and some stuff amid the rain, and decided to ask if she needed help.
On being told that Y was looking for a place to stay and had gone without food since the night before, Beth immediately contacted Gabriela and Migrante to ask for available lodgings for distressed workers. Then she treated Y to a meal.
Told that Bethune House could take her in, Beth lost no time taking Y there as there were reports that Typhoon Signal 8 would be raised soon. They got there at about 6pm, and Beth had to leave immediately to avoid being stranded by the severe storm.
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| PRESS FOR MORE DETAILS |
Antonio could only praise Beth publicly for her compassion and quick thinking.
“A compassionate member of an organization saw her, fed her, called Gabriela and Migrante HK and was finally accompanied to Bethune House despite the heavy rain,” Antonio posted on Facebook.
“These
are the women who are working for women's welfare. Thanks Beth, Gabriela and
Migrante HK, we can always count on you
.”
Needless to say, Bethune House, which has been serving migrant women in distress for nearly 36 years, deserves the bigger accolade.
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| PADALA NA! |
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