Twenty-two migrant farm laborers working in a sugarcane plantation, several of them claiming to have been maltreated by their contractor, were rescued in Hacienda Garason, in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental, Wednesday.

Among those rescued in Hacienda Garason, Brgy. San Jose, Binalbagan, were three minors whose identities are being withheld. They were recruited by a certain Neil Daquila of Barbasa, Antique, Senior Inspector Rico Santotome, of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, said.

Initial police investigations show that the 22 farm laborers who came from Brgy. Maybunga, Laua-an in Antique, were contracted by Daquila and paid P4,000 each in advance to work in a sugarcane plantation in Binalbagan.

Santotome said the rescue operations was conducted by the police and NOPPO Women and Children Concerned Desk headed by SPO4 Judy Flores, assisted by  SPO4 Jovita Bio of the Binalbagan police WCCD, Janet Trasporto of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office and Brgy. Capt. Joel Grejaldo. They responded to reports that minors from Antique were recruited to work as “sacadas” in Binalbagan.

Santotome, however, said the 19 other migrant farm workers from Antique who are working in the hacienda and who claimed to have been maltreated by the contractor, also decided to leave the hacienda.

Police investigations also showed that the migrant farm workers arrived and worked in the hacienda in September last year.

Majority of them did not receive salaries as their pay was charged to the P4,000 initial payment given to them, and to their debts with a canteen that provided them food., police said

WCCD investigations also showed that two of the migrant workers escaped two weeks ago and reported their plight to their families in Antique. This prompted the police to stage the rescue of their companions.

NOPPO is now coordinating with their counterparts in Antique in preparing the criminal charges for violation of Child Labors Law against Daquila.

The rescued migrant farm workers yesterday returned to their homes in Laua-an, Antique, through the help of NOPPO and the local government of Binalbagan*GPB

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