Repatriate human trafficking OFW-victim who's reportedly "fooled/sold" by Honor Deployment Corporation

Let us help repatriate a "human trafficking" Kuwait OFW - victim who complained that she had been allegedly "fooled/ sold" to other employer by her own recruitment agency, the Honor Deployment Corporation

PAGING Kapisanan ng mga Kamag-anak ng mga Migranteng Pilipino Inc. (KAKAMMPI) chairperson Ma. Fe P. Nicodemus (one of your members, a certain Aurelia Tacuyo De Castro now badly needs your help!)

Honor Deployment Corporation owner/ manager Abdelrahman Hamed Aquino Bayoumi also known as (A.K.A.) Kharen Abdelrahman, rescue and repatriate as soonest as possible the said OFW victim of alleged human trafficking and maltreatment.

Foreign Recruitment Agency (FRA): Fadel Mohammed Ghuloum for Domestic Labor Recruitment

Attention: Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) administrator Bernard P. Olalia;

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac through OWWA board member Dr. Celerino "Doc Chie" L. Umandap, founding chairman of Advocates and Keepers Organization of OFWs Inc. (AKO OFW);

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) secretary Silvestre H. Bello III
thru Mr. "Super Action Man," DOLE undersecretary Claro A. Arellano;

Commission on Filipino Overseas (CFO) executive director Astravel Pimentel - Naic;

Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) Labor Attaché Atty. Alejandro A. Padaen; and

The Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait (Without an Ambassador, who the "hell" is in charge of our distressed countrymen in Kuwait?)

More than a year ago or to be precise, on 11 May 2018, the Philippines and Kuwait signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that supposedly would protect an estimated two hundred sixty thousand (260,000) overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the said Gulf nation.

Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah signed the said MOU for and in behalf of the State of Kuwait with the Philippine government.

The signing ceremony was even witnessed by Philippine special envoy Abdullah Mama-o, among others.

It seems unfortunate that the then prediction or pronouncement of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian now has come true: “Otherwise, the (MOU) will become a mere paper tiger.”

He bravely declared the above statement as he spoke of this premise: "Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) along with the senior state officials 'who helped make the final push, deserve credit for persevering and closing this deal despite the recent difficulties between our countries.'"

“Moving forward, our government must do everything in its power to ensure that the OFW rights enshrined in the agreement are upheld by the Kuwaiti government.”

"The Philippine government should work with the proper Kuwaiti authorities to establish effective enforcement mechanisms which will ensure compliance with the MOU and impose tough sanctions on offenders."

Sen. Gatchalian aptly delivered then a prophetic significant message.

Who ever intently listened?

At a time a certain Filipino migrant worker Aurelia Tacuyo De Castro was reportedly hugely indisposed and she made her local recruiment agency, the Honor Deployment Corporation completely aware of her unfit condition and that to be deployed on that particular day (27 February 2019) was totally against her will, yet she was still brought to Kuwait by said recruitment agency as a household service worker (HSW).

Worse, she had lately eventually realized and finally confirmed that Honor Deployment Corporation did NOT really honor and respect the sacred employment contract that she signed with them.

In fact, she was not brought to her "original" employer as depicted or reflected in her job contract but instead she was "sold" to another after interview and a sort of bidding on 28 February 2019 right at the foreign recruitment agency's office. "IS IT NOT A CLASSIC INSTANCE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING?"

Yes, she was indeed "fooled" as the name and address of her employer which are stipulated in her original employment contract are far different from the name and address of her actual and present employer.

The name and address of her employer that are stipulated in her original employment contract are: ABDULAHZIZ HUSSAIN ZAID

But the name and address of her actual and present employers are: The husband and wife tandem: KHALED ABDULLAH and MAGEDA EBRAHEM HASS HAGYA whose residence is at Alsalam Block 5, Street 23, Building/ House No. 37

She had been allegedly overworked, long complaining of lack of food and lack of sleep. She had been suffering vertigo - like ailment plus blood clots allover her body probably due to being anemic, overfatigue, stress or tension (She was in fact, brought for the nth time to the hospital and doctor prescribed her several medicines)

Her recruitment agency's agent (a certain Mercy Alvarado Cabingan) and owner/ manager (Abdelrahman Hamed Aquino Bayoumi A.K.A. Kharen Abdelrahman) are timely and REPEATEDLY made aware and informed of her poor working conditions, her medical status and her plea to be brought home to the Philippines but she was only consistently promised to be transferred to other employer.

When she insisted, she was allegedly told by her agent/ owner that she would possibly be allowed to be repatriated if and only if she on her own would shoulder her plane ticket back home and settle to them the amount of one thousand five hundred (1,500) Kuwaiti Dinars which her employer had allegedly expended on her.

WORST, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) which was appropriately and timely apprised by the OFW's husband of the breach of contract of Honor Deployment Corporation had remained since couple of months ago without action.

HEREUNDER are the OFW's personal accounts of relevant events/ experiences and her letter - narration/ pleading to all concerned coursed thru the herein Petitioner:

"Nong February 11, 2019, 11 am tinwagn ako ng secretary ng agency ko si Miss Julie, ang sabi magreport ndw ako dalhin ko ndw mga gmit ko after 7 days flight nrw kmi nkiusap ako na kung pwd kinabukasan nlng umaga ng dhil di p kumpleto gmit ngunit di pumyag dumating ako ng 5:00 pm sa opis ng Agency ng Honor agad pinag medical, fit to work ako walng brefing dinla agd kmi sa accommodation ni miss Liza, staff ng agency ko kya nong ipinxok kmi sa accom wala akung alam sa mga rules, regulation 2lad ng kpg nkapg fit to work kna di n pwd lumabas pa s accom"

"Nong February 13 buhat ng pinxok ako sa accom, inuubo ako ngtanong ako sa lady guard ng accom kung my gamot ang sagot skin wala narw naubos hnggang nang lumala naung ubo ko nahirapn n akong huminga nghihina giniginaw nong gabi ng February 15, 2019,10 pm tinx ko c maam Julie sec ng agency kung pwd lumabas muna ako khit 3 days para mkapagphinga at mgpa check up wala p nmn kming eksak date kung kailan ang flight sa kdhilnang wala pdw ticket ngunit di dw pwd dhil sa rules"

"Nong February 27, 2019, 7:30 am flight nmin dumating kmi ng 8 pm sa accom d2 sa bansang Kuwait pinagtatrabahuhan ko"

"Kinabukasan, February 28 ng umga yon 8 am, dinala kmi sa medical, pinagmedical kmi hnggng 1pm binalik kmi sa accom at pinkain, pinagpahinga then 4 pm dinala nkmi sa agency d2 sa Kuwait kinuha laht dokumento nmin walng ntira hanggng sa ininterview kmi ng mga mployer n kumukuha samin hindi ako npunta sa pinirmihan kung kontrata ibang addres at hindi tugma ung tao at ilan ang makksama kong pagsisilbihan ko"

"Hangang sa kinuha nko ng ibang mployer ng matapos akung ma interview nong mkuha ako nong February 28, 2019 alas 7 ng gabi inuwi nko ng mployer n kumuha sakin d2 sa Kuwait sa knilang house n hangangangngayon di ibinibigay sakin ang passport at eqama ko hindi cnsbi kung may day off."

Mr. Tirso Paglicawan (Mr. PaglicService),

Tulungan po ninyo ako, pagdating ko sa Kuwait, "ibenenta" po ako ng Honor Deployment Corporation sa ibang employer.

Nabasa ko po sa inyong pahayagang The Market Monitor (marketmonitor.com.ph) na tumutulong kayo sa mga OFWs kung kaya sumulat ako sa inyo ngayon.

Para po sa inyong kabatiran, nagpunta na po ang aking asawa na si Ricky Carandang De Castro sa tanggapan ng Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) at nag - filled up ng form for request for repatriation noon pang buwan ng Abril 2019 subali't magpahanggangngayon ay walang aksyon ang POEA sa aming pakiusap na makauwi na ako sa Pilipinas.

Ako po si Gng. Aurelia Tacuyo De Castro, isinilang sa Purok 1, Malawaan, Rizal, Occidental Mindoro subali't matagal nang naninirahan sa San Jose Street, Barangay Poblacion 9, Bagong Bayan, Taal, Batangas kapiling ang mister ko na Ricky at ang aming tatlong (3) anak na sina Erica Lea, 14 years old, Arjay, 12 at Arkin, 9).

Sa kasalukuyan, nagtatrabaho ako bilang household service worker (HSW) dito sa bansang Kuwait. Ang nagpaalis po sa akin na recruitment agency ay ang Honor Deployment Corporation.

Bagama't ipinaalam ko na po sa ahente ko (Mercy Alvarado Cabingan) at sa may-ari ng agency (Abdelrahman Hamed Aquino Bayoum alyas Ma'am Karen Abdelrahman) ang hindi magandang pagtrato sa akin ng aking kasalukuyang Kuwaiti employer, walang linaw na papayagan nila ako na makauwi sa Pilipinas.

Opo, bale maglilimang (5) buwan nang nasa Kuwait ako ngayon subali't hindi po ako ngtatrabaho sa employer na siyang nakasulat sa aking orihinal na kontrata at natatakot po ako sa dahilang iba rin po ang address na pinagtatrabahuhan ko kaysa sa nakasulat sa pinapirmahan sa akin na kontrata ng Honor Deployment Corporation.

Ang pangalan na nakasulat sa kontrata ko ay ABDULAHZIZ HUSSAIN ZAID samantalang nagtatrabaho ako dito sa bahay ng mag-asawang sina KHALED ABDULLAH at MAGEDA EBRAHEM HASS HAGYA na nakatira sa Alsalam Block 5, Street 23, Building/ House No. 37.

Ang totoo po, mayroon at matagal na akong maysakit sa accommodation pa lang ng aming recruitment agency nang umalis ako sa Pilipinas noong February 28, 2019 pero pinilit ako ng aking agency na bumiyahe papuntang Kuwait kahit pa sobra ang pag-uubo, sipon at taas ng trangkaso ko noon. Tinakot nila ako na kakasuhan at pagbabayarin kapag hindi ako magbibiyahe papunta dito sa bansang Kuwait.

Ngayon, nauulit ang pagiging nerbiyosa at masasakitin ko. Bukod sa madalas na ako ay nahihilo at puro pantal (blood clot) ang katawan ko, grabe ang pamamanhid ng aking mga kamay dahil sa labis na hirap ng mga trabaho sa aking kasalukuyang amo.

Pinagtataguan kami (ako at ang kasama ko ngayon na kapwa ko katulong) ng aming employer ng pagkain dito kung kaya kulang kami sa pagkain o lagi kaming nagugutom.

Halos apat (4) na oras lang ang tulog ko bawa't araw dahil sa halos madaling araw pa lang, inoobliga na akong magluto ng aking amo at pinag-aasikaso sa mga gawain sa kusina at laging lampas ng hatinggabi kami pinapahintulutang matulog.

Araw - araw, tuwing umaga, pinapalinisan sa akin ang buong napakalawak na basement ng building na tinitirahan namin.

May kung ilang buwan na bale po trabaho ng halos tatlong (3) katulong ang aking ginagampanan. (Umuwi ng Pilipinas ang aking kasamang kapwa kasambahay at wala pa dati ang ngayo'y kasama na naming domestic helper ding Sri Lankan).

Paulit-ulit at may kung ilang beses na po akong nagsusumbong sa aking agent na si Mercy Alvarado at kay Ma'am Karen Abdelrahman, ang manager o may-ari ng Honor Deployment Corporation pero sinabihan lang nila ako na gagawa sila ng paraan para dalhin ako sa agency upang ilipat ako sa ibang employer.

Katunayan, tatlong (3) beses na po ako na dinala sa hospital. Nang nagsumbong naman ang asawa ko sa POEA, diniktahan ako ni Ma'am Karen Abdelrahman sa telepono samantalang nakabantay ang ahente ko na si Mercy Alvarado Cabingan at pilit o inobliga nila akong gumawa ng isang sulat - kamay ko na liham na sinasabi ko sa sulat na hindi na ako uuwi sa Pilipinas at papayag na lamang ako na magpalit o magpalipat ng employer. Wala po akong magawa sa dahilan na tinatakot nila ako bukod sa nahihilo pa ako sapagka't kakalabas ko lang sa hospital nang ipinagawa nila sa akin ang nasabing sulat na iniuurong ko ang aking request for repatriation.

Sinabihan din nila ako na kung gusto ko talagang umuwi sa Pilipinas, ako ang bumili ng aking plane ticket at pinagbabayad din ako ng halagang one thousand five hundred (1,500) Kuwaiti Dinar na nagastos daw ng employer ko sa akin.

Dahil sa nagrereklamo ako sa aking kasalukuyang employer sa kalagayan ko dito ngayon, lubhang natatakot ako sa naging desisyon na solusyon ng aking ahente at manager ng recruitment agency na ibenta ako ulit sa ibang employer.

Inilakip ko po ang litrato ng aking kontrata at iba pang mga ebidensyang-dokumento sa sulat kong ito para magpatotoo sa aking sumbong.

Sana po ay matulungan ninyo akong mailapit sa mga kinauukulan ang kalagayan ko nang makauwi na ako sa Pilipinas sa lalong mdaling panahon.

Tulungan po ninyo ako para na rin sa aking 3 anak na naghihintay sa aking pag-uwi sa amin.

Umaasa sa inyong tulong.

Gumagalang,

Gng. Aurelia T. De Castro