Hong Kong social enterprise claims ‘unfair treatment’ in investigation launched by Philippine labour secretary
- Silvestre Bello III ordered a probe in Hong Kong following the introduction of a new online database for the placement of domestic workers
- Employment agencies have raised privacy concerns, but the company behind the platform says the system is sound and calls on president Duterte to keep his promises to protect Filipinos
The Philippine government is investigating its officials in Hong Kong over the consulate’s introduction of a new database designed to better protect the city’s thousands of Filipino domestic workers – a move the company developing the platform suggests is aimed at discrediting it.
Social enterprise Polaris Tools, which has been working on the system, said it had not been contacted about the government’s concerns.
The investigation was ordered by Philippine labour secretary Silvestre Bello III on August 24, after the replacement earlier this year of the provider previously running the platform. The database records contracts, placement and welfare protection for Filipino workers in Hong Kong.
According to an official note from the consulate, Bello has created a fact-finding team to look into allegations of impropriety in selecting the new service provider by officials at the Philippine Overseas Labour Office in Hong Kong.
“There was alleged ‘haste’ and a ‘seeming lack of transparency’ in the solicitation of the proposal and the awarding of the new contract,” the official statement reads.
The owners of Polaris Tools, which was chosen in a bidding exercise to revamp the database, have cast doubt on the legitimacy of the investigation. They said the new system was aimed at enabling the Philippine government to better protect its citizens and improve efficiency for hiring agencies. The database is said to speed up the processing of contracts and allow for quicker identification of blacklisted agencies and employers.