My run away house hold helper

My house hold helper (in the Philippines, we call them maids) run away without proper resignation.

She came to work with us on November 25, 2013,

and  told my driver on her first day that she plans to run away once she is allowed to have a day off.

The people belong to lower class have a kind of strong bonding or unity here in the Philippines, and they have a tendency to keep secrets among each other, so my driver didn't tell me.

It turned out as if my driver protected her, but actually he didn't mean to protect her.  There is a culture here that it is not a good act to report someone to authority or boss, because a person will be facing some kind of consequence, or punishment.   It's considered betrayal and Filipino community has a way to make them outcast who reported, or attack them verbally.

Not all are like that, but there is a culture like that among some people here in the Philippines.

That is one of the reasons many companies are experiencing stealing from employees and yet hard to catch them.

Anyway, my maid who run away lives in Las Piñas, Metro Manila, and she has 5 children from high school to 9 years old.  Her husband is a family driver, but I think currently he is out of job, because he had an affair with someone's wife,  and the girl is an employee in the office of his boss who has a beauty salon.  The husband of the girl (so SHE is married!) threatened him, so he couldn't go to work or something.

So it is my guess that she thought about working just for December when kids have no school.

Although she said she wants to work to save college tuition fee for her eldest who's soon graduation high school. 

She didn't have a day-off since she came to my house on November 25, told me she wants to go day-off on December 31,  but because my family traveled from Dec 29- Jan 1,  she took advantage and left on Dec 30. Yet,  she asked me to pay for her day-off she didn't take. (They are allowed 2 times a month, and I normally pay for a day-off if they don't avail it).

Her starting salary was 5000 pesos (around $116 USD) per month,  plus food allowance of 500 pesos per week (free seasoning and basic vegetables, etc). 

For the month of December, she received around 8000 pesos (around $186), it is because of Christmas bonus and tips we gave when we had parties at home. 

I don't think her salary is considered low in Metro Manila for maids, I give Social Security, Philippine Health, and Pag-ibig, too.

When we came back from vacation trip, and found out that she is unlikely to come back, and I tried to call her mobile phone, but she changed her sim card, thus we can't contact her anymore, I felt annoyed.

If she really told me honestly, and begged me, I could have allowed her to leave.

In fact, during her stay with us, I kept telling her that I allowed all the maids who wish to leave, and never stopped them, and she agreed that proper resignation is important.

And if she told me earlier,  I could have a chance to find her replacement, too.

But she didn't care.

I wasn't to obliged to give Christmas bonus under the law, but it's Christmas, you know, and I wanted her to have little additional for her family.  I also gave her Christmas ham (in the Philippines, they call it Hamon de bola), and she all took them, though I was wondering why she was no smiling when she received them.  

And all of these were just taken it for granted.

She just didn't care for us, and she didn't care for the other maids who will have hard time without her.

She also stole her contract of employment.

We are supposed to inform each other 15 days notice in case of termination, but she didn't want to follow from the start. (Her 6 months contract, too) 

And in the Philippines, a lot of people don't follow laws, but they don't get caught, or they don't face the consequences.  

I'm not generalizing Filipinos,  but many people belong to lower class are used to do what they want to do,  and they call it "freedom of choice". 

(Again, not all the Filipinos are like her. There are more sincere, honest  people than those who are not, I think. But it's true that there are some like her.)

It's a freedom without responsibility, but those people are not taught that one has to act with responsibility.

Since she got a lot of cash because it was December and we had many home parties, she had enough cash for a month or two.

And by the time she run out of cash, probably she must be hoping for her husband to get a good job.

But my concern here is the honesty.

She got away from me by lying.

And that's the attitude she has to everything. 

I’m not just talking about a lie.

I’m talking about her principle in life or philosophy she has, or how she holds herself to society. 

Her kids learn her attitude, too, by looking at her.

Even she doesn't tell her kids that she lied to me, 

every word, every action shows how she thinks. 

A lot of Filipino parents want their kids to get good jobs, but if they are not sincere to others,  if parents are not honest, if their attitude is selfish, then kids learn that way, too.

In Japan, we say "Spit toward heaven (sky), it falls on to your face".

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For your information:

My maid who run away is 

Maunag de Espiritu, Elma y Lamila

Here is the copy of her NBI clearance.
(you can click to enlarge the image)