DMW considers Singaporean housing model
‘The food was rationed. There was no proper restroom and no shower. The toilet where they relieved themselves was also where they bathe. Worse, some slept on the table on which they ate’
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‘The food was rationed. There was no proper restroom and no shower. The toilet where they relieved themselves was also where they bathe. Worse, some slept on the table on which they ate’
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A Singaporean migrant worker housing model is being considered by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) as the standard for recruitment agencies offering accommodations to prospective overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), following a recent Senate Committee on Migrant Workers hearing that highlighted the “deplorable conditions” in some agency-run facilities.
At the hearing on 24 March, DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac said the Singaporean model can accommodate 12 persons per room with one-meter spacing and 3.6-square meters of living space. It also has one shower and one wash basin for every six occupants.
This contrasts with the conditions in some agency-run accommodations that Senator Raffy Tulfo inspected in mid-March. He recalled that there were around 30 would-be OFWs crammed into small, locked rooms at night.
“The food was rationed. There was no proper restroom and no shower. The toilet where they relieved themselves was also where they bathe. Worse, some slept on the table on which they ate,” Tulfo said.
Before the DMW was created in 2022, recruitment agency accommodations were not regulated by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. The DMW assumed oversight responsibilities for these facilities in July 2023.
According to DMW Undersecretary for Licensing and Adjudication Services Bernard Olalia, 33 recruitment agencies were registered. However, 27 have been delisted due to violations of housing standards.
“We have an inspection team that must visit and inspect a facility before its registration can be approved,” Olalia said.
Most agencies that provide accommodations are those that recruit domestic workers. To date, there are 807 land-based recruitment agencies in the Philippines, around half of which recruit domestic workers.
Cacdac said inspections will begin with these facilities.
Tulfo also called on the DMW to set clear accommodation standards, including a space requirement, individual lockers, first aid kits, and internet access.
Among the hazards highlighted during the hearing was the lack of fire extinguishers in OFW accommodation facilities.
Bureau of Fire Protection Chief Superintendent Alma Abacahin said the BFP conducts periodic fire safety inspections of business establishments, starting with pre-construction checks, inspections during the establishment’s turnover, and yearly assessments for fire safety compliance.
She acknowledged, however, that recruitment agencies only apply for fire safety inspection certificates for their offices, not for the accommodation facilities.
“If a business establishment does not apply for a permit from our office, we cannot inspect them outright,” Abacahin said.
Tulfo said the BFP should ask the recruitment agencies for the location of their accommodation houses. He accused the BFP of focusing its inspections on establishments from which they can make money.
“I’ve heard reports that you’re thorough with inspections of establishments only to sell them your recommended fire extinguishers. That’s where you make money. Sorry for the word, but that’s the reality,” he said.
Tulfo ordered the BFP to inspect all DMW-registered agencies and verify the living conditions in OFW accommodations.
