Bishops: Saudi ban on Pinay maids a blessing in disguise

Saudi Arabia's decision to stop hiring domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia may be a blessing in disguise, Catholic Church officials said. An official of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said the ban will prevent the abuse of Filipino domestic helpers by their employers. "It’s better that we stop deploying household service workers (HSWs) to Saudi Arabia to avoid exploitation like what we often read in the papers," CBCP Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People executive director Fr. Edwin Corros said in an article posted on the Union of Catholic Asian News site. Starting on July 2, Saudi Arabia stopped issuing work visas for domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia because of its labor rows with the two countries. The decision of the Saudi government is expected to affect 180,000 Filipino domestic workers in Saudi, such as maids and drivers, the UCAN report said. Domestic workers represent about 15 percent of more than 1.2 million Filipinos working in Saudi. According to a report on the Arab News site on June 30, Hattab Bin Saleh Al-Anzi, a spokesman for the Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Labor said the Saudi government decided to stop hiring domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia after the two countries imposed stricter conditions on prospective Saudi employers. The Philippines requires foreign employers of Filipino domestic helpers to pay a minimum wage of $400 a month. The Philippine government also urged employers to provide family information and the layout of the residence where the Filipino domestic helper will be working. Arab News reported that the Saudi government wanted the Philippine government to alter these requirements. Talks between Philippine and Saudi officials broke down, the report said. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the government may turn to Australia and Canada, which are experiencing a “labor shortage." On the other hand, some groups had asked for a ban on domestic workers to the Middle East, saying the problems caused by their deployment outweigh the benefits gained by the government and the migrant workers. - VVP, GMA News