Blatant Exploitation in Paradise

If you are familiar with the Philippines, you should be aware of the
exploitation of the poor. It is the main fuel powering the economic
engines of the whole country. The entire system is methodically &
and meticulously managed by big business with full participation
and blessing of government at all levels.

The poor majority work long hours for a paltry wage which is quite
often less than a beggar on the street can "earn." Then to add insult
to agony, the poor working majority have little or no fringe benefits
and no effective remedy for frequent abuses by employers.

Even in Manila, the minimum wage is now 312 pesos for 8 hours of
work. That's less than $1.00 per hour. [NOTE: A part-time teenage
U.S. farm worker earned more than that in 1955.] Moreover, abuses
are rampant -- millions of impoverished workers still do not receive
even the minimum wage.

In Boracay, the situation appears to be far worse. Many hundreds of
young people, mostly females, work as chambermaids in the islands
resorts. The plight of these workers in typical here in Paradise.

To cite one example -- Ayme (not her real name) is 19 years old and
has been working for 10 months as a "chamber maid" cleaning guest
rooms at a popular medium size resort in Boracay.

She lives in cramped staff quarters with no air con and no windows
with five other girls. Ayme works 12 hours a day and gets 2 days off
every month for a salary of P2,500 per month. That equates to only
P7.44 (U.S. 18 cents) per hour.

And if you think that is incredible... wait! Ayme has not received any
salary since last August 2007.

You may wonder how such inhumane treatment is possible. I have
the answer -- it is simply rampant unbridled greed of rich business
owners aided and abetted by corrupt government officials.

You look around, you talk to the average Filipino... I guarantee you
every one of them will verify what I have said here. They will also
say, "Nothing we can do about it. This is the Philippines."

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