RP envoy charged in US NEW YORK -- AMBASSADOR Lauro Liboon Baja Jr., who headed the Philippine Mission to the United Nations from 2003 to 2007, is one of four defendants in a civil complaint alleging trafficking, forced labor, peonage and racketeering.
..... The complaint was filed by 39-year-old Marichu Suarez Baoanan through lawyers Aaron Mendelsohn of Troutman Sanders and Ivy O. Suriyopas of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.
..... Baoanan, who holds a degree in nursing from Unciano Colleges and General Hospital in the Philippines, said she arrived in the United States in January 2006 with a diplomatic “red” passport and visa, as a “personal employee” of Ambassador Baja.
She said she stayed at the five-story Philippine consular residence at 15 East 66th Street, New York—a townhouse where she was made to work 16 hours daily, seven days a week, in the Baja household.
..... Baoanan said she was paid only a total of $100 for three months of work, and another $100 for taking care of Facundo’s son who, she said, was allowed to hit her.
(Edited for brevity. More of the story here.)
This only goes to show that the practice of double-speak as regards how OFWs are prioritized by this government has permeated the hallowed ranks of the foreign service, and is no longer the exclusive province of the highest levels of the Presidency.
What makes this so much worse is that the alleged crime is committed by the very same officials who should be upholding the interest of the Filipino people in that country. This is not mere negligence of duty. This is a premeditated and actively perpetrated crime. A countryman was deceived and exploited by members of the official's household, in the Philippine consular residence itself.
If a non-Filipino committed this crime, the victim runs to the embassy or consulate for help. In the present case, where can one run for help? There are grave doubts as to whether any U.S. court has jurisdiction to decide on this particular case. Although it happened in U.S. soil, the fact that it happened in the Philippine Consular Residence means that a Philippine court should have jurisdiction. Which brings us to the question - can anyone of Lauro Baja's stature ever be convicted in a Philippine court?
We could already foresee what will happen. We will once again witness a grand "washing of hands" spree by various government officials led by the President herself. This administration should be enshrined in the Guinness' Book of World Records for frequently promoting personal hygiene by the washing of hands.
Meanwhile, the alleged victim never gets justice, and the alleged perpetrator enjoys his retirement with a fat government pension.
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photo credit: http://sonoranalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/ThumbsDown.jpg
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