RP seeks protection for maids in Singapore

RP seeks protection for maids in Singapore

MANILA (Reuter): Singapore and the Philippines will confer
this month on how to protect the 65,000 Filipinos, mostly maids,
working in Singapore, Philippines Foreign Secretary Domingo
Siazon said on Tuesday.

Officials said the Philippines wanted to prevent repetition of
the controversy over Singapore's execution of Filipina maid Flor
Contemplacion, after which Manila withdrew its ambassador.

Siazon said a Philippine official delegation would leave for
Singapore later this month for talks on setting up a "grievance
mechanism" and improving documentation procedures "to lower the
vulnerability" of Filipino workers.

Contemplacion was hanged in Singapore in March for the 1991
murder of Filipina maid Delia Maga and a Singaporean boy.

Although Contemplacion confessed to the murders, her execution
provoked widespread protests in the Philippines because many
Filipinos believe she was the innocent victim of frame-up.

President Fidel Ramos agreed last month to take steps to
normalise ties with Singapore after an autopsy by a panel of
American experts supported conclusions by Singaporean scientists
pointing to Contemplacion as the killer.

"Relations between Singapore and the Philippines should not be
at the risk of being broken everytime you have a particular
labour-related case," Siazon told reporters.

In the meantime, a ban on sending women workers to Singapore
would stay in force, he said.

Ramos imposed the ban after Contemplacion was executed.

A new Philippine ambassador to Singapore will be named "as
soon as possible", Siazon said.