The Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, announced the abolishment of the requirements for submission of banker’s guarantee and performance bond required from Singaporean employment agencies and employers hiring Filipino domestic workers.

According to Channel News Asia, Singaporean employment agencies and employers are required to purchase a performance bond of SGD 7,000 (USD 4,986) when hiring a Filipino helper. The bond is a contract between the employer and the Philippines Embassy to ensure that the helper gets proper and fair treatment while working in Singapore.

The announcement said the removal of the requirements was in recognition of the ‘deep and abiding friendship’ between the Republic of the Philippines and the Republic of Singapore, and was a concrete outcome of the historic first state visit of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.

Leng expressed appreciation for the abolishment and affirmed Singapore’s commitment to protect the well-being of all migrant workers in Singapore. 

Separately, both sides noted the continued efforts to eliminate human trafficking.