1,600 OFW Jobs in Croatia and Slovakia

1,600 OFW Jobs in Croatia, Slovakia

With the way current trends in the global labour market move, aside from countries such as Japan, China, and Israel, a number of European countries, including Croatia and Slovakia, have expressed their willingness to outsource … Read more

WATCH: Deported OFW Complains About Stolen Luggage

WATCH Deported OFW Complains About Stolen Luggage

Making the rounds on social media is the viral video of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), claiming that some of his belongings had been stolen, the Philippine News Agency reported.

ALSO READ: Airline Baggage Handler Caught Stealing from Passenger Luggage

The OFW, Andrew Mortes, is a deportee from Saudi Arabia. Upon arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on November 17, he complained that he lost some valuables placed inside his checked-in luggage — including money, a cellphone, and a gold necklace.

WATCH Deported OFW Complains About Stolen Luggage
Screenshots from video posted on Raffy Tulfo Supporters FB Page

Deportee Claims Money, Cellphone, & Jewelry Were Stolen

The video shows Montes on the floor, looking through his belongings. “Ang sabi po ng mga pulis sa Jeddah bawal po namin bitbitin kahit anong gamit,kailangan daw po namin ilagay sa aming bagahe. Kaya po sinunod namin sila (The police in Jeddah said we couldn’t hand-carry anything, we need to put them in our luggage. So we just followed them),” Montes said.

“Pagdating po namin sa airport ng Pinas, nagkalat na po ang mga gamit ko… Nawala po ang cellphone ko, mga alahas, at pera, pati din po sa mga kasamahan namin (When we arrived at the Philippine airport, our belongings were scattered… My cellphone, jewelry, and money were missing, same goes for the other deportees),” he complained.

According to Montes, he and the other deportees reported the incident to Saudia Airlines. However, the airline company said that they were not liable for their passenger’s belongings. Montes expressed that they do not know what else to do, and asked President Duterte for help.

Here is the video of Andrew Montes, shared by Raffy Tulfo Supporters’ Facebook page:

In response, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) coordinated with the airline’s ground handler. Ma. Consuelo Bungag, Officer-in-Charge of the MIAA Media Affairs Department, said that MIAA authorities examined the body cameras of the ramp agents.

However, camera footage did not reveal any irregularities during the handling of the luggage. Hence, the MIAA declared on Thursday (November 29) that no irregularities took place.

The Chief Legal Officer of the Civil Aeronautics Board, Wyrlou Samodio, said that airlines are responsible for lost luggage. However, he explained that for a passenger to get compensation for lost or damaged luggage, he or she should have declared the valuables inside it in the first place.

“Sometimes, to avoid paying duties, passengers don’t declare their valuables,” Samodio explained. “Then they would complain if their jewelry, for instance, is missing. How would the airline know if it’s true, if they did not declare it?”

Meanwhile, the MIAA General Manager, Ed Monreal, reminded Montes to be careful with what he posts on social media. He also said that baseless accusations could tarnish the country’s image.

ALSO READ: Airport Police Catch Woman who Stole Almost PHP 300K from OFW in NAIA

While many of us may sympathize with Montes, we cannot discount the fact that no irregularities were found in the handling of his luggage. In any case, as travelers, we should take care of our belongings at all times, and declare valuables placed in our checked-in luggage.

Philippine Embassy in Paris, France

Filipinos who are in France, the Philippine Embassy can serve you on weekdays and during business hours. If you need local services such as renewal of your passport, applying for a new on in case … Read more

11 OFW Investments You Must Consider

Here are 11 OFW Investments You Must Consider

We all agree that the road to financial freedom is a long and arduous journey. There are plenty of factors to consider such as time, our financial threshold, and the channels we have to grow … Read more

[WATCH] Company Exec Dunks Employee’s Face in Hotpot at Company Dinner in Japan

[WATCH] Company Exec Dunks Employee’s Face in Hotpot at Company Dinner in Japan

A video footage of a corporate executive shoving the face of one of his employees into a boiling pot of food at an office party has sparked rage among netizens across social media sites, according to report by Yahoo! News.

ALSO READ: Japan Do’s and Dont’s

The footage, which had been taken on at least two different mobile devices running a little over a minute, was initially put up on the website of the Shunkan Shincho Weekly News before it was picked up by the media.

[WATCH] Company Exec Dunks Employee’s Face in Hotpot at Company Dinner in Japan
Screengrab taken from a video posted by デイリー新潮 on Youtube

[VIDEO] Japanese Boss Shoves Worker’s Face in Hotpot at Office Party

The video features a group of people inside a Japanese-style restaurant, with bottles of beer and food on the table. At the centre of the table was a nabe, a dinner pot where water is boiled to cook meat and vegetables over a lit stove.

A man whose face was not shown in the video grasps the back of the head of the victim – whose face has been blurred out – and shoves it straight into the boiling water in the pot. Spectators can be heard jeering and laughing in the background.

The description on the video at the website says that the footage was taken at a year-end office party of an entertainment agency based in Tokyo back in 2015.

The clip also shows a still image of the man who had sustained extensive burn injuries on his face. The complainant revealed that the burn injuries, which resulted into extensive scarring, took over a month to heal.

This form of power harassment, which has been considered part of work culture in the country, has not been directly addressed by Japan laws. Likewise, sexual harassment regulations in the workplace are considered “toothless.”

In a 2017 study conducted by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, 30% of the 1,000 respondents who have experienced workplace harassment shared that they had sought treatment for psychosomatic conditions, whereas 20% had resigned from their jobs.

ALSO READ: POEA Warns Against Language Centres Offering Jobs Abroad