Hong Kong urged to investigate local partners of illegal recruiters arrested in the Philippines

Calls have emerged for the city’s authorities to look into ties between three people detained in the Philippines and local agents who allegedly charged domestic workers excessive job placement fees and withheld their passports

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Hong Kong experts say the business being investigated has deeply rooted ties to Hong Kong. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 9:30pm, 6 Dec 2018Updated: 10:13pm, 6 Dec 2018

Experts and domestic workers are calling for Hong Kong authorities to investigate the local partners of three suspected illegal recruiters who were arrested in the Philippines last week.

Arlene Tabunot, Aaron Coronado and Robert Coronado were detained in their home country after eight victims filed formal complaints with Philippine authorities. A pre-trial hearing took place on Tuesday in Manila.

The case in the Philippines specifically refers to illegal recruitment – but there is more to it, according to experts in Hong Kong. They said Tabunot’s business goes beyond the Philippines and has deeply rooted ties to Hong Kong.

David Bishop, a specialist in accounting and law at the University of Hong Kong, has been following Tabunot’s operations in the city, along with a group of HKU students.

He said Tabunot has operated both in the Philippines and Hong Kong, and that she works with several individuals and agencies in the city.

Their wrongdoings, the expert noted, have mostly do with charging excessive job placement fees and withholding domestic workers’ passports as well as other documents.