Wannabe columnist wrote a piece on Saudization

My blood pressure went up early this morning when I read the article of a wannabe columnist from Manila Times named Marlen V. Ronquillo. It’s not enough that you know your grammar to be a columnist. The least that you could do is to check on the facts before you write something. I haven’t been to journalism school but I think that’s the least that you could do before writing an opinion piece. However, this wannabe columnist wrote something that Saudization was the reason why domestic workers are barred from entering the Kingdom of the Sands.

That’s what you call ignorant and ill informed. That actually made her ridiculous, really. Saudization and the stop on deployment of domestic workers are two different stories. She should have at least called the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and the POLO to check on the facts before she write something. Saudization is the Kingdom’s policy that compels companies in the private sector to hire Saudi Nationals. Quotas are given by the Labor Ministry depending on which sector the business is operating. Saudization does not include household workers.

The Saudi government banned deployment of the household workers from our country after they could not agree on the minimum wage for the domestic workers. The Philippine government asked for USD 400 while the Kingdom wants it to be only USD 200. The ban has nothing to do with the Nitaqat program.

It was just disappointing when wannabe opinion writers in our country write a crappy column without checking the facts. They owe it to their readers to at least do the research before writing their column. It’s also appalling when the editor publish those crap.

Sa highblood ko, I wasted 2 hours today just write a nasty email to the writer and her editor.