Maid in New York

Ambassador Lauro Baja, esteemed diplomat and foreign affairs expert, should just let the law take its full course. In today’s Inquirer, the good ambassador insinuated that the human trafficking charges levied against him by his former maid who worked for the Baja family in New York City for two months may be a result of his close relations to former Speaker Jose de Venecia.

This is strictly a labor issue more than anything else. Was Marichu Baoanan charged a fee before she was hired to work in the US as the Baja’s domestic help? If yes, then this drastically alters the nature of that relationship. Was there deception and exploitation from prior to and during her employment? These two elements go straight to the heart of what makes for human trafficking.

I have the highest respect for Ambassador Baja and his family. There is no question that they are well-connected, politically and socially. However, there are questions that must be dealt with before the court of law, both here and in the US. It doesn’t seem to be helping his case that he has dragged other personages into what appears to be a labor case between him and his maid.

Foreign Service officials represent the best in every Filipino. When a Filipino is abroad, our ambassador and his or her staff represent the different facets of our government. Social welfare, labor relations, even security matters are taken up with them. I know that many of our embassy and consular staff belabor under a stringent budget, especially now given the global shocks of oil and food prices. They could not pay the premium for their domestic help not because they are stingy or exploitative but because their allowances can only pay the minimum acceptable wage. But I haven’t heard of anyone charging a maid thousands of pesos just to be able to join a diplomat’s family abroad.

Marichu Baoanan may have winter clothing, and a few hours off to walk around Central Park. She may have a whole album of photos portraying her as a happy tourist. Still the question remains – when she was offered the job, was there deception and exploitation involved? That alone — not an employer’s rolodex, titles or accomplishments — that alone holds the key to the resolution of this case.