Justice for the Sentosa 27, Justice for all Overseas Contract Workers

To:  OPEN LETTER

We, the undersigned, condemn on the strongest possible terms, the grave injustices committed against the Filipino health workers known as the Sentosa 27. We sign this petition in unity with the Sentosa 27 and the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, who are undergoing a community campaign against the Sentosa Care LLC, the Sentosa Recruitment Agency in Manila, and its owner and chief operating officer Bent Philipson.

Furthermore, we condemn the political interference that has frustrated the Sentosa 27’s initial pursuit of justice as exemplified by the mishandlings of US Senator Charles Schumer and Philippine Senatorial Candidate Michael Defensor to have the initial suspension of Sentosa’s recruitment license lifted.

The Sentosa 27 all signed their employer agreements believing they could help their loved ones back in the Philippines by coming to the United States. But the dream of pursuing the economic hope of the United States quickly turned into a nightmare as the Sentosa Recruitment Agency fulfilled none of the terms of the original employer agreements signed by the Sentosa 27. Upon arriving in the United States, the 26 nurses and 1 physical therapist were duped into working as agency nurses rather than as direct-hire staff nurses, had their wage rates lowered considerably and withheld over long periods of time, had their green cards withheld by Philipson, and were continuously maltreated and abused by Sentosa’s affiliate nursing homes for which they worked.

After working under breached contracts for months, the 27 courageously united to resign from their positions. Sentosa and Philipson retaliated aggressively against the 27 by filing criminal charges against them on the basis of patient abandonment and later patient endangerment.

We believe the Sentosa 27 face these trumped-up charges and still yearn for the justice they achingly deserve.

We believe the Sentosa 27 represent all foreign workers who come to the United States to survive the reality of poverty in their home countries. The Philippines is the number one exporter of health care professionals, particularly nurses, in the world. Many who train in the Philippines dream of the working in the United States.

The Philippine government, the world’s number one broker of human labor abroad, benefits tremendously from its push to send at least 3000 Filipino workers abroad every day. In return for the over $12 billion in overseas remittances submitted annually to sustain the Philippine economy, the government does nothing to tend to the immediate needs, welfare, and rights of exploited overseas Filipino workers. This is the criminal essence of the country’s Labor Export Policy (LEP) a government-facilitated policy to facilitate the massive outmigration of Filipino workers that was initially propped as a temporary measure to stave of joblessness under the Marcos regime in 1974. Unfortunately, human labor remains the #1 export the Philippine government aggressively sells Filipino mothers, fathers and children to fulfill the cheap labor demands of the first world.

We admire the courage of the Sentosa 27 as landmark because it reminds all of us of the power of unity and the will of all the world’s Davids against the Goliaths.

Together with the Filipino-American community, community-based organizations, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), solidarity networks worldwide, allies and friends; we call for the following demands:

1. to have all criminal and civil charges against the Sentosa 27 dropped by the State of New York;

2. to seek unpaid overtime wage compensation and all other backwages for the Sentosa 27;

3. to permanently revoke the recruitment license of the Sentosa Recruitment Agency by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency in Manila;

4. to call for an immediate investigation by the state of New York of all Sentosa operations on the basis of violations of human trafficking laws and involuntary servitude;

5. to seek explanation from the Office of US Senator Charles Schumer of New York State on matters regarding correspondences between his office over the handling of the victims' class action suit against Sentosa with the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency and the Philippine Consulate General in New York, Ms. Cecilia Rebong ; and,

6. to seek explanation from the Office of the Philippine Secretary of State and senatorial candidate Michael Defensor on matters regarding correspondences between his office over the handling of the a previous license suspension by the POEA of Sentosa that led to the eventual lifting of the said suspension.

Justice for the Sentosa 27!
Justice for all overseas contract workers!

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Justice for the Sentosa 27, Justice for all Overseas Contract Workers Petition to OPEN LETTER was created by and written by Berna Ellorin (nychrp@yahoo.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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