Catumbal, Cabaluay, Zamboanga City, Philippines; Bongao, Tawi-Tawi; Sandakan, Malaysia, Philippines
As reported by the Republic of the Philippines Department of Labor and Employment, 2011-02-11 http://www.dole.gov.ph/secondpage.php?id=1790 "Arlene Ramos, a.k.a. "Michelle Ramos," "Arlene Lee," or "Arlene Anova" was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt in violation of Section 7(a) of Republic Act No. 8042, or the Migrant Workers Act of 1995; and of human trafficking under Section 4(a) in relation to Sections 3(a) and 10(a) of RA 9208, otherwise known as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003. The case was filed in 2005 after Ramos, who was found to have no license from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), had recruited sisters Aleli T. Wee and Herminia T. Wee for non-existent jobs as food servers in a restaurant in Malaysia. Ramos promised the victims' mother, Jasmine T. Wee, that her daughters will receive the monthly salary of P12,000 each, but said the cost of the recruitment will be through salary deduction equivalent to P3,000.00 for the first four months. Ramos further told the mother not to worry because she (Ramos) will take care of the needed documents. It turned out that Ramos were to sold the sisters to slavery. She first brought them to her house in Catumbal, Cabaluay, Zamboanga City, then to Bongao, Tawi-Tawi where they were forced to board a vessel of the Aleson Shipping Lines which brought them to Sandakan, Malaysia. In Malaysia, the sisters were forced to work as domestic helpers without pay. One of the sisters, Herminia, was forced to become a sex-slave. Afraid to escape because they had no documents, they accepted their fates, but at the close of 2005, they were able to go back to the Philippines. Aleli went home on 03 December while Herminia arrived less than a month later, on 27 December."
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