Pangasinan Student Trainees Sent to Singapore Complain of Abuse

By LYN V. RAMO
Bulatlat.com

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — More student trainees earlier deployed by the Pangasinan State University to train in hotels and restaurants in Singapore went back here recently complaining of poor working conditions in their training.

Early in January, a whistleblower alleged anomalies in the recruitment of student trainees for Hotel and Restaurant Management under PSU’s international internship program, which has attracted students even from other universities outside Pangasinan.

Besides alleged anomalies in recruitment and enrolment, the whistleblower, who asked not be named, also complained of poor living quarters in a Singapore hostel. He said it was also very far from the workplaces.

This time, the homecoming trainees were also complaining of poor working conditions.

In an earlier interview, a 24-year-old trainee and graduate of PSU HRM said some students were assigned to work as caddies in a golf and country club when they should have been working in a hotel or a restaurant.

He complained also that he did not receive his one-month salary of SD450 before he was sent back to the Philippines after he complained about the poor housing.

“PSU authorities are now blaming me for the early return of the other trainees,” the whistleblower said. He said a PSU official even asked him why he aired his grievances to the media.

In a sworn statement, the student trainee listed his complaint. He claimed to have emailed the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) his statement while he was still in Singapore, hoping he would get favorable action from the said agency, but he got nothing.