A coalition of migrant rights groups is opposed to the proposal of the Department of Foreign Affairs requiring contract workers to undergo psychiatric evaluation before deployment abroad.
The Philippine Migrant Rights Watch (PRMW) said the DFA cited the cases of domestic helpers Marilou Ranario and May Vecina who were placed on death row for killing their employers in Kuwait and were later found to be mentally unstable.
Reports said the rising number of Filipino workers involved in crimes abroad prompted the government to consider the DFA proposal.
“Bakit ganun ang tingin mo sa mga kababayan mo na they are prone to mental stress?” asked Rhodora Abaño of the PRMW.
Abaño’s group believes that the psychiatric evaluations are unnecessary since domestic helpers are required to undergo medical examinations, which also includes mental health tests.
The coalition said additional fees for psychiatric tests will just be an added burden to domestic helpers.
The coalition also said that psychiatric tests also presupposes that the mental disposition of Filipino domestic helpers are always unstable.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, is also opposed to the proposed psychiatric test because of the additional cost that will shouldered by the domestic helpers.
“Kung susuportahan o babayaran ‘yan ng DFA, okay lang, wala sigurong magiging problema,” Estrada said.
Meanwhile, Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito Roque said they would still have to meet with the DFA to study the merits of the proposal and whether this can be successfully implemented.
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