War sends workers to sweatshop

Maranao women in the village of Sagunsong in Marawi City wait for news about plans to build a tent city for those displaced by the war between government and terrorists, which is wrecking the economy of nearby areas, like the town of Balo-i in Lanao del Norte province. —JEOFFREY MAITEM

BACOLOD CITY — From the frying pan to the fire.

This appeared to be what happened to a group of 41 workers, 14 of them minors, who fled economic hardship caused by the war in Marawi City only to end up in a sweatshop here.

The workers, from the town of Balo-i in Lanao del Norte province, were rescued from a sweatshop that produced fake cigarettes in the village of Bata here on Friday.

Supt. Ronaldo Palomo, deputy Bacolod police director for administration, said the rescued workers, all Maranaos, came to Bacolod in search of a greener pasture as life became difficult in Balo-i as a result of the continuing armed conflict in Marawi, the predominantly Muslim city 15 kilometers away where Balo-i residents usually found jobs.

But they ended up working in a factory producing fake cigarettes here.

The workers told police they were underpaid and were kept like prisoners in the factory.

Pacita Tero, Bacolod social welfare department head, said the workers were recruited by an unidentified person in Balo-i. But when they got to Bacolod, the workers’ recruiter disappeared and the workers were left at the cigarette factory.

Owner’s identity

Police were still trying to establish the identity of the factory owner.

A caretaker identified him as a certain Andy Chua, but a receipt for the lease of the warehouse that was converted to the cigarette factory yielded the name Jimmy Chua.

Police were preparing to file charges for human trafficking against the factory owner and its caretaker, who had not been identified, according to Palomo.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Palomo said, would file a separate charge against the factory for producing fake cigarettes.

Citing the victims’ accounts, Palomo said the workers were recruited to repack products in Bacolod. They, however, ended up producing fake cigarettes and were barred from entering other areas of the factory.

At least 300 boxes of different kinds of cigarettes, machines, tea bags and raw materials, like tobbaco leaves, were seized at the factory and an extension office in the village of Taculing, also in Bacolod.

BIR mission order

Police conducted the raid on the strength of a BIR mission order issued on suspicion that the factory violated the National Internal Revenue Code, Palomo said.

Police seized fake tax stubs with face value of P40 each during the raid, the deputy police chief said.

Palomo added that police also seized tea bags that appeared to contain what could be dried marijuana leaves and acetone, a component of “shabu” (crystal meth). These were turned over to the police crime laboratory for tests.

Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency were called in during the raid, Palomo said.

The BIR had already ordered the closure of the factory pending further investigation, he said.

The 41 workers were turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development for processing, Palomo said.