NBI: Overworked minors rescued from Tondo factory

“The worst form of human labor.”

This was how an official of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) described the sweatshop conditions allegedly endured by four minors before they were rescued from a garments factory in Manila on Thursday afternoon.

The NBI raid on the GHA factory in Balut, Tondo, also led to the arrest of Gilbert Talan, the son of the owner, and assistant manager Marisen Tanagan, said Basset Sarip, executive officer of the NBI antihuman trafficking division.

The registered owner and Gilbert’s mother, Gloria Talan, was not around when the agents conducted the operation, which stemmed from a complaint from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

According to Sarip, the minors–aged 15 to 17, one of them male–were made to work more than 12 hours a day, starting at 6:30 a.m., as “all-around helpers” in the factory.

They were paid only P2,800 a month, he said.

Housed in a five-story building, the factory produces children’s wear and undershirts for adults.

Sometimes, the underaged workers were also asked to clean the Talans’ residence in the same building, Sarip said, quoting the minors’ statements.

They also claimed that they were “not allowed to sit down” while at work and that the place had poor ventilation and no fire exits, he added.

Sarip explained that under the country’s labor laws, minors over the age of 15 are allowed to work only 40 hours a week. “Beyond what is allowed by law is already considered a violation,” he added.

The four minors were placed under the custody of the DSWD, he said.