<![CDATA[Hong Kong social enterprise claims 'unfair treatment' in investigation launched by Philippine labour secretary]>

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.

Jaime Deverall, CEO of Polaris Tools. Photo: Nora Tam alt=Jaime Deverall, CEO of Polaris Tools. Photo: Nora Tam

A group of Hong Kong employment agencies sent an anonymous letter to the labour secretary in July criticising the bidding process and raising privacy concerns regarding the system. They also accused Polaris of a conflict of interest. At least two other letters with similar content have been sent to Manila.

"All of those accusations are incorrect. For every single accusation, I have documentation to prove it wrong. There is a stain campaign against my name and my company," said Jaime Deverall, CEO of Polaris Tools. "This investigation is a sham. They are not really trying to find out any facts. They predetermined the result and they are trying to legitimise that result, which I think will try to discredit our company."

Deverall, a graduate of Stanford University, raised doubts not only about the way the investigation was being conducted but about the motivations behind it.

"There's a combination of corrupt officials within the Department of Labour and Employment and employment agencies who have been profiteering off Filipino workers for decades, who overcharge and withhold passports. I can't understate how central these actors are to the persisting situation in Hong Kong. It's the agencies and their political buddies who protect them," Deverall said.

The Philippines' labour department, the office of President Rodrigo Duterte and the Hong Kong consulate did not respond to questions from the Post about the investigation and the accusations.

Former labour attache Jalilo Dela Torre, who pushed for the revamp of the database and who has now returned to the Philippines, said he had not been contacted for information since the investigation was launched.

"They asked me to comment on the letter sent by a group of unidentified agencies and I have, but that was before the probe was ordered," he said.

"What is strange is that, why order a probe based on an unsigned letter from unidentified agencies? Is there a connection we don't know anything about?"

President Rodrigo Duterte is said to be committed to stopping abuse of overseas workers. Photo: AP alt=President Rodrigo Duterte is said to be committed to stopping abuse of overseas workers. Photo: AP

Four bidders presented proposals to revamp the database in January after receiving invitations. Dela Torre said: "Since there was no government expenditure involved, no public bidding was necessary."

The proposals were judged by a panel of five at the labour office and one owner of an agency. Deverall said he was informed his firm had been chosen in February, and they signed a contract the following month.

He said Polaris Tools was to provide its services free of charge to the labour office, and employment agencies would pay fees for each contract processed.

Yee Choi, a director at the Hong Kong Home Services Association and owner of the Further Creation Employment Centre, said most agencies in Hong Kong supported the introduction of a new system. But "we just wished the entire process was more transparent and less profit driven", he added.

He also raised privacy concerns about the data collected by the new provider.

Questioned about unscrupulous agencies overcharging workers, he said the problem was not common. "Sadly, a few may still operate like that ... But nowadays information is so easily available, this doesn't exist much any more."

A study by the Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions last year uncovered evidence of agencies charging some of the city's poorest workers more than allowed under regulations.

The research, which included video footage, showed some agencies demanding anywhere between HK$3,500 (US$446) and HK$10,000 to place domestic workers in a job " eight to 20 times the legal limit.

The Post understands that after the Philippine government investigation was launched, officials from Manila travelled to Hong Kong for a meeting with a group of local employment agencies. Choi declined to comment on this meeting. He said he was not convinced the new system would enhance efficiency for agencies. Processing a contract took 10 to 14 days, he added, and the new features would not make much difference.

But dozens of agencies seem to support the Polaris Tools database, which is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year. A letter from Deverall with signatures from 60 Hong Kong-based agencies has been sent to Manila.

Deverall, a Filipino-Australian raised in Hong Kong, said the system had been designed to reward good agencies and make it easier to track down bad actors.

"People need to know that our system is benefiting workers," he said.

David Bishop, a principal lecturer at the University of Hong Kong and owner of Migrasia, a corporate shareholder in Polaris Tools, said Duterte had expressed a commitment to stopping the abuse of overseas workers.

"We just hope he upholds his promises," Bishop said.

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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