MISLEADING: Russia ‘offers’ Filipino workers wages up to P75k

Claim: The website sasafeed.com published a report on October 11 headlined: “Russia, Nangangailangan ng Domestic Helpers at Nag-Offer ng Sahod na P50k Hanggang P75k (Russia needs domestic helpers and offers a salary of P50,000 to P75,000).”

Aside from household service workers, the post also claimed that Russia needs musicians and other professionals. The information supposedly came from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). 

Data from the social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle showed that the claim has been shared on Facebook for over 1,000 times and has accumulated 5,000 reactions and 1,100 comments. The pages that have shared the claim include Raffy Tulfo Supporters Group, Katotohanan, and Bible Time. 

Rating: MISLEADING

The facts: As of writing, the DOLE has made no official announcement about the deployment of Filipino workers to Russia for jobs with a salary range of P50,000 to P75,000. The Philippine and Russian governments have yet to sign a bilateral agreement that addresses the legal status of Filipinos in Russia. (READ: PH eyes labor agreement with Russia as Duterte makes second visit) 

DOLE Information and Public Service Director Rolly Francia confirmed to Rappler in a text message that the claim is “not true” and that there is “no such announcement.” 

“The Secretary of Labor even said that DOLE has yet to send a [Technical Working Group] to thresh out provisions of a proposed bilateral agreement that will govern the deployment of Filipino workers to Russia,” he said.

The official website of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has issued no press release either on recruitment for possible employment in Russia. 

The salary range mentioned in the claim is based on a radio interview with Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III in DZMM’s TeleRadyo program, “Failon Ngayon sa DZMM” on October 7. Broadcast journalist Ted Failon asked Bello about the extent of demand for household workers in Russia.

“Kailangan din nila ng household service workers eh. Eh ang dami n’yan, ang dami sigurong pupunta d’yan. Ang sahod do’n para sa mga household workers, ang minimum P50,000. Ang minimum wage para sa household workers ay P50,000. Minimum ‘yun, umaabot ng P75,000,” Bello said. 

([Russia] also needs household workers. Because that is a lot, many would likely want to go there. The salary there for household workers is minimum P50,000. The minimum wage for household workers is P50,000. That is minimum, up to P75,000.)

Bello only said that the salary for domestic helpers in Russia is between P50,000 to P75,000. He did not specifically say that should Filipinos work there, they would automatically receive the exact salary range.

There are no provisions under the bilateral agreement that specify the wages for Filipino workers in Russia. Even Philippine Ambassador to Russia Carlos Sorreta said in a media interview on October 2 that Filipinos should avoid recruiting others to work in Russia while they are working on the labor agreement. (READ: Duterte returns to Russia in October) – Glenda Marie Castro/Rappler.com.  

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