AMID accusations of “slave-like conditions” and cases of human trafficking filed against a labor recruiter and a sugar mill in Tarlac, a number of farmers have described very different and contradictory accounts about their working environment.
Ricky Mahinay and Nancy Rama, who were with a group of nearly 1,000 sugar workers from Mindanao who were hired to work during the harvest season in Hacienda Luisita, were perplexed why some of their coworkers made allegations that they believe are completely false.
“Sila po ’yung mga tumakas, maayos naman po ang trabaho namin dito. Bigla na lang nabalitaan namin na humarap sila sa media, ang sabi nila kinakawawa kami dito, hindi kami pinapakain at binabayaran. Hindi naman po totoo iyon [They were the ones who escaped, our work here was fine. Then all of a sudden we heard that they went to the media and claimed that we were made to suffer, starved and not paid. That’s not true at all],” Mahinay noted.
Rama echoed this sentiment, adding that most of the farmers were actually thankful for the employment opportunity. “Nagpapasalamat nga po kami na nabigyan kami ng trabaho at nakatulong kami sa mga pamilya namin. Hindi po namin alam kung ano ang pakay nila at biglang nagkaroon ng iba’t ibang kwento, pero mahirap naman paniwalaan ang mga binibintang nila [We are grateful that we were given work and a chance to help our families. We don’t know what their agenda is for relaying different stories, but it’s quite hard to believe their accusations],” she explained.
Greenhand Labor Service Cooperative, the recruitment agency responsible for bringing the workers to Tarlac, likewise, denied the charges against them. “It is totally untrue that their living conditions are inadequate. We have four buildings with good running water and continuous electricity for everyone,” Greenhand General Manager Billy Baitus explained. “In fact, the Department of Labor and Employment Regional Office 3 has approved and given us a certificate of adequate temporary dwelling facility for those four buildings.”
In addition to the temporary living accommodations, Baitus asserted that they gave the farmers everything that was promised to them: a steady salary of P220 per ton subsistence within the contract period, free transportation between Tarlac and Bukidnon, cash advance of P2,500 upon departure and P2,500 on arrival, accident and health insurance, as well as social-security benefits.