More countries deploying Filipinos household service workers (HSWs) are complying with the minimum wage set by the Philippine Overseas employment Administration (POEA) in its reform package for HSWs.

Apart from Saudi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the Singapore government also increases the monthly minimum salary of foreign domestic helpers to SGD500 or USD400.

The Secretary of the Labor Department, Rosalinda Baldoz, lauds the move of Singapore and cited a report from the Association of Licensed Recruitment Agencies for Singapore, Inc., which states that this new development complies with the HSW reform package which sets USD400 as the monthly minimum salary for Filipino HSWs.

Baldoz said, “It also reflects a magnanimous response, on the part of the employers, to meet the minimum standards of the International Labor Organization's (ILO) Convention 189 Concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers."

The Labor Secretary also informed that to address the issues affecting the welfare of Filipino domestic helpers in this Asian country, the Association of Licensed Recruitment Agencies for Singapore, Inc. (ALRAS) even conducted a goodwill mission. A mission similar to this was also conducted by another group in Malaysia.

The president of ALRAS, Lucita Sermonia said that their group together with Singaporean employers generally agreed to implement the conditions needed to improve the conditions of household workers in Singapore.

Aside from the salary increase, the following are the conditions that the ALRAS agreed to implement:

No placement fee before departure at the jobsite through salary deductions;
Provision of three (3) meals a day;
One (1) day off;
At least seven (7) hours of uninterrupted sleep; and,
keeping and being allowed to use a mobile phone.

Baldoz said, “The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) welcomes the positive results of the goodwill missions by your association in Singapore and Malaysia," Baldoz said