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, part of 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 co-workers made allegations that they believe are completely false.
“They were the ones who left. 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 said in Tagalog.
Rama echoed this sentiment, adding that most of the farmers were actually thankful for the employment opportunity.
“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 said.
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,” explained Greenhand general manager Billy Baitus.
“In fact, DoLE 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.
“Another very curious thing is why these disgruntled farmers included entities that clearly have nothing to do with the situation in their complaints,” Baitus emphasized.
“A company called Agrikulto contracted us to hire these farmers, while Central Azucarera de Tarlac is even more detached from the issue, since they are simply the sugar mill that processes raw materials. They were not involved in the recruitment and hiring at all, and yet both companies were named as respondents and repeatedly mentioned in media,” he said.
