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Consulate 'ripping off maids with fees'

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Cindy Sui

Domestic helpers are accusing the Philippines Consulate of charging them unnecessary and excessive fees.

They said the consulate charged for everything, including work contract authentication and mandatory certificates needed to leave the Philippines after a holiday.

'They're extracting from the poor. It's clear they're making foreign migration a business,' said Connie Regalado, chairwoman of United Filipinos in Hong Kong.

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Her organisation is one of a coalition of 83 groups that is gearing up for a campaign to axe or lower fees.

An example of an alleged overcharging: the Consulate requires migrant workers who lose their passport to first obtain an affidavit of loss for $170 before it will issue a new passport for $750. Renewing a passport costs $510.

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In contrast, the US Consulate charges $462 to replace a lost passport and $308 to renew one.

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