Domestic helpers accuse agency of running visa 'scam'

At least 50 Filipino domestic helpers working in Hong Kong alleged that they were scammed by a visa agency.

The workers alleged that PinoyCare Visa Center - based in the Philippines and founded by politician Nina Mabatid - claimed to help Filipino domestic workers apply for Canadian student visas.

Mabatid has allegedly been working with Bryan Calagui, a Hong Kong-based Filipino blogger, to recruit helpers to apply for the visa.

Calagui has posted details of recruitment talks on his personal Facebook account, which has more than 300,000 followers, attracting workers to attend workshops at the Sunbeam Theatre in North Point.

In the recruitment talks, Mabatid and Calagui claimed that applying for a student visa was the easiest way for the workers to move to Canada, where their families could enjoy a better life. They also claimed that domestic workers could work there while holding a student visa.

"They told us we could work five hours a day and study for two hours," said victim Cherryl Genobebe.

The company supposedly told them to pay HK$18,500 within seven days to secure a spot in the program. Workers were also required to pay additional fees to process their applications, which cost around 122,000 Philippine pesos.

It also promised to lend the workers 1 million pesos to help them prove to the Canadian government that they intended to study there.

However, the visa company did not specify the requirements applicants have to comply with to be granted the student visa. It also did not provide a receipt, showing that they have purchased such a service from the company.

After realizing that they may have been scammed, the workers went back to Sunbeam Theatre on June 18 to ask for a refund. They also called the police to the theater that day to resolve the issue. Mabatid promised the victims she would issue a refund on June 25 in front of police officers. However, she did not show up.

Victims have also gone to the North Point police station to file a case against Mabatid on June 22.

Such cases appear to be happening not only in Hong Kong but also in other countries where Filipino domestic helpers work, including the Middle East and Japan.

Many victims said that when complainants wanted to file a case against Mabatid, she would threaten them with a counter-suit.

United Filipinos in Hong Kong chairwoman Dolores Balladares Pelaez said the victims "deserve swift justice."

She added: "We hope the investigation to be conducted by the Department of Migrant Workers in the Philippines will begin soon."

In a reply to The Standard, Philippines consul-general Raly Tejada said: "Since the said firm and its officials are all based in the Philippines, the Consulate has requested the DMW to examine the complaints. We await the findings."