A $200 fee to be paid by bosses of Filipino domestic helpers has been put on hold because the Philippine Consulate is too short of staff to collect the levy. Assistant Labour Attache Elizabeth Recio said yesterday that the extra charge for hiring or renewing contracts of migrant workers could not be collected. 'It's too messy,' she said. 'We have to concentrate on processing, not collecting.' She said the consulate had informed the Philippine Government of the situation, and was awaiting further instruction. Employers are already paying $425 for the processing of contracts with the consulate. The extra $200 is to be charged for the authentication of contracts, and would be used to improve services for overseas workers.
