Indonesian Banned to send Domestic worker in Saudi Arabia

Indonesia will stop sending new domestic workers to 21 Middle Eastern countries, after the recent execution of two Indonesian women in Saudi Arabia that angered Jakarta government. The ban affects countries including Saudi Arabia (this is a major destination for Indonesian maids, and also for Filipinos), United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Egypt, and it will come into effect in three month's time, their Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri said.Jakarta, is complaining for long time already about the treatment of Indonesian maids in the Middle East, had already placed a moratorium on sending new helpers to Saudi Arabia in 2011 following the beheading of a worker. Permanent ban The new move of Indonesian government is meant to be permanent. Maids already working in the affected countries will be allowed to stay and continue in their positions. Indonesia is angry at the executions of its citizens abroad comes despite the fact that Jakarta last week executed seven foreign drug convicts, drawing a storm of international protest. “According to the law, the government has the right to stop sending migrant workers in particular countries if it is believed that their employment degrades human values and the dignity of the nation.” Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri said, there were “many problems” with Indonesians working abroad related to “labour norms and human rights violations”. Dhakiri cited the execution of Indonesian domestic workers Siti Zainab and Karni Binti Medi Tarsim, who were both put to death for murder just days apart in April. Promise fulfilled President Joko Widodo, vowed in February that maids would no longer be sent abroad in future, although he did not mention a date. I hope our own government here in Philippines can do the same. To try to find ways that all Filipino can work here, so we no need to go abroad to become maid. If Indonesia can do it, Philippines can do it too. So no one will go and live faraway from home and from our family. As well as the Middle East, Indonesia also sends domestic workers to many parts of Asia, including Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, and has often complained about the treatment of its workers in those countries. A Hong Kong woman was jailed for six years in February for beating and starving her Indonesian maid ''Erwana'' and keeping her prisoner, in a high-profile case that drew attention to the abuse of domestic helpers in the financial hub. I hope that this news will be a wake up call to our own Government. To protect Filipinos, to protect our human values and dignity from racist.

How to: Apply for a Philippine Passport

Here is how to secure a Philippine passport. You need to complete the requirements of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). For the new applicants, please have all your original documents and ID's photocopied before going to DFA on your appointment date.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:

Personal appearance
Confirmed appointment
Birth Certificate (BC) in Security Paper (SECPA) issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO) or Certified True Copy (CTC) of BC issued by the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) and duly authenticated by NSO.
No need to submit a passport size photo
Valid picture ID's and supporting to prove identity (please refer to list of acceptable ID's and supporting documents)

For Married Men and Women:
Marriage Contract  in Security Paper issued by the National Statistics Office or original and photocopy of the Certified True Copy of Marriage Contract issued by the Local Civil Registrar and duly authenticated by NSO.

For Minor Applicants (below 18 years old):
Confirmed appointment (except for 1 year old and below)
Personal appearance of the minor applicant
Personal appearance of parents
Original Birth Certificate of minor in Security Paper issued by NSO
Document with identity with photo such as School ID or Form 137 with readable dry seal
Marriage Certificate of minor's parent duly authenticated by NSO
Notarized affidavit of support and consent to travel from either parent
Original and photocopy of valid passport of parents

 LIST OF ACCEPTABLE ID's (at least 1 of the following):

Government issued ID's such as the following:
Digitized SSS ID
Driver's License
GSIS E-card
PRC ID
IBP ID
OWWA ID
Digitized BIR ID
Senior Citizens ID
Old College ID
Alumni ID
Old Employment ID

LIST OF SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS (at least 3 of the following):

Voter's ID
NBI Clearance
Marriage Contract
Police Clearance
Barangay Clearance
NSO Birth Certificate of children

All of the above mentioned is the one you need to prepare if you want to apply for a passport. If you are prepared with all the documents it is hassle free for you. Earrings and contact lenses are not allowed during data capturing. Smiling with visible teeth is also not allowed. Please check all the data in the computer monitor and in the Enrollment Certificate before signing it.  Only immediate family members are allowed to get the passport in behalf of the applicant. Immediate family members include father, mother, brother, sister, spouse and children of legal age. Passport shall be released to an immediate family member only with proper authorization letter. Passport of a minor applicant shall be released to parents only or to an authorized representative with Special Power of Attorney and Affidavit of Support and Consent.

Passports unclaimed after six (6) months will be canceled per Department Order No. 37-03. Make sure to check all data in the received e-passport upon release. Number of processing days may vary depending on the location of the Regional Consular Office where the application was filed. Power failures, technical breakdowns and natural calamities may delay the release of passports. 

Update for Mary Jane Veloso's case

The 30 years old Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Mary Jane Veloso was expected to be executed on Tuesday April 28, 2015 in prison island Nusakambangan in Cilacap, Indonesia. She will be executed with 8 others: two from Australia, one from Brazil, four from Africa, and one from Indonesia. Veloso was arrested and sentence to death in 2010 for attempting to smuggle 2.6 kilograms of heroin into Indonesia. She has been on Indonesia's death row for the fast five years. But on last minute before her execution, Indonesian President Joko Widodo decide to delay her execution to ensure she get's ''justice'', following the new developments in her case here in Philippines. Widodo made the statement on Wednesday, April 29 , several hours after the Indonesian government announced the delay of Veloso's execution that he maintained and ''listens and pays attention to human rights activist''.

The decision to delay the execution was taken by President Widodo after receiving reports about an ongoing legal process in the Philippines. He said, ''because the legal process is still ongoing, we must ensure Mary Jane Veloso deserves justice''. Veloso's alleged recruiter, Maria Christina Sergio, surrendered to police on Tuesday. The Philippine Department of Justice is set to begin its preliminary investigation on Sergio and two others allegedly involved in the Veloso case on May 8. Sergio, her partner Julius Lacanilao, and a certain ''Ike'' have been charged with human trafficking, illegal recruitment, and estafa. But Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs, clarified that the delay in the execution “does not cancel the death penalty” on Veloso. There was a new evidence. We respect the law in the Philippines and we will clarify. The law will still go on, but this does not cancel the death penalty. At this stage, this does not cancel the execution, Purdijatno said. He added that following Sergio’s surrender, “we will question Mary Jane as a witness''.

My conclusion is:  Never accept bags from strangers!

In foreign airports,  especially, you might meet kababayans who have gone over their baggage limits and request you to pass off one of their bags as yours. Don't do it!

You don't know what those bags contain. Politely but firmly decline. It's good to be kind;  but it's better to be safe, especially when you're traveling. Let them hate you by not helping them, all the love in the world won't save you if those bags happen to contain illegal substances. And even if those bags contain nothing but chocolate bars, excess baggage is an avoidable problem, and it shouldn't be YOUR problem. You shouldn't have to take the risk. It is probably not a good idea to accept bags from neighbors or "friends" either.

I'm referring to a real-life case, Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina who was sentenced to death in Indonesia for transporting heroin in the lining of a suitcase that she says had been given to her by a neighbor, someone she knew and trusted. The one thing we can do, is moving forward, and to make sure that something like this will not happen again.

Place to go if you want to find HELP in Hong Kong

So many of our fellow Filipino domestic helper needs to know about some place in Hong Kong. A place where they can find help and shelter if there is no way but to go down from their employers house. So many domestic helper both from Philippines and Indonesia is not lucky to find good employer in Hong Kong. Most of them suffered from the hand of their employer for the very simple reason and they have nowhere to go. Not, now. Bethune house or most common known as Mission for Migrant workers is one of those places whom you really can find help and shelter. I will tell you the story of the Indonesian helper that suffered from the hand of her 3rd employer in Hong Kong and how she escaped and find place,shelter and comfort in Bethune house.

Siti Khotmah, 34 years old  from Central Java, Indonesia. Like most of us, she go to Hong Kong to give brighter future to her family. She need to  send his 12 years old son to secondary school and need to help her old parents for their daily financial needs. She have 3 employers for more than 4 years stay in Hong Kong. Her first employer she only stay for four months with them. Her employer hire her as a second helper in the household because they are expecting their first baby. But after four month, they decided that they don't need her anymore so they terminate their contract with her. It is hard for her  that time since she is first timer in Hong Kong. Her salary is only HKD3,000.00 and she need to pay 7 months salary deduction to her employment agency. Luckily she found new employer, and this time she stay with them for four years. After four years, the employer don't need her so she need to find new employer again. And in this new employer, she stay only for one month and 20 days.

Her employer always hit her for a simple reason and little mistakes. The last time because Siti kept the broken plastic bag that her employer ask her to throw away thinking that she still can use it for something else. Her employer is so angry when she found it, then she ask her what's wrong with her eyes and slapped her. One time her employer also slapped her inside the lift. It is always happening, since she start working with that employer. Sometimes she hit Siti so hard that she felt dizzy. Siti is afraid to run away and tell the police of what is happening to her inside her employers house. She is afraid to tell the police because if they didn't help her she had nowhere to go and no place to sleep. She try to complain to her agency, but the agency always listen to the employer so she just keep quit and endure the pain.

Finally, Siti come into her senses and contacted the Mission for Migrant workers (Bethune house) and they are the one who help her to go to the police.That day she went to the police, she still have blood in her eyes and a week -old blue bruise from where she is slapped by her employer. When the police call her employer, she denied doing anything against Siti. But the police found the video recording from the lift. Now, Siti is staying at Bethune house while waiting to find new employer. She is helping other domestic helper who have same fate as her to go to the police, see the lawyer, go to the doctor and in Immigration Department. Siti find comfort of a family in Bethune house.

So to all domestic helper, you don't need to worry. There are a lot of place where you can go, to seek help if you need. Just bear in mind, the only thing we have in our self is the courage to learn our rights and to fight for domestic slavery. Don't hesitate to ask places where at the end it is very useful. If it is not for you, it is for your fellows who needs help. That is a big help to someone if you know some important places. You can help by telling your fellow domestic helper where to go in times that they want to find help. To those who are lucky that you have a good employer, please share your blessings to those who is less fortunate.