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A Singaporean couple – 58-year-old Kay Siew Hwa and 61-year-old Woon Meng Fat – was sentenced to six weeks' jail each for conspiring to make a false declaration in the work permit application for 35-year-old Filipino Pirante Jean Delmo.

Additionally, Kay was fined S$9,000 for employing 37-year-old Filipino Martin Mylene Alinsangan, a migrant domestic worker (MDW), illegally, as a housekeeper without a valid work pass.

Two women hired as domestic workers but did housekeeper jobs

According to the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) press release, the pair was convicted on Nov. 2, 2021.

This came after MOM's investigations revealed that Delmo worked as a housekeeper at K2 Guesthouse in Pasir Panjang, which Kay owned, with a MDW permit instead of an S Pass.

Kay had already illegally employed Alinsangan, another MDW, as a housekeeper without a valid work pass.

Delmo entered Singapore in October 2018, and worked for about a year until the offences were detected.

What happened

Kay could not qualify to hire a second MDW as she had already employed Alinsangan as a MDW.

As such, she sought assistance from Woon to apply for a MDW work permit for Delmo by using his name.

Woon went on to make a false declaration in Delmo’s work permit application that he would employ her as an MDW.

He also submitted a doctor's memo in his appeal to further substantiate his need for a MDW for his mother and brother’s special caregiving needs.

Migrant domestic worker also jailed

Additionally, Kay and Delmo reached an agreement, where Kay would apply for a MDW permit for Delmo instead of an S Pass.

For this, Delmo was sentenced to six weeks’ jail on Nov. 24, 2020 for making a false declaration to MOM in her MDW work permit application form.

She has also been barred from working in Singapore permanently.

MDWs work stipulations

MDWs are only allowed to perform household and domestic duties for the official employer, and at the residential address as stated on the work permit card.

If convicted of making a false declaration in work pass applications, offenders can be fined up to S$20,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.

Errant employers will also have their work pass privileges suspended, and the work pass applicant will also be permanently barred from working in Singapore.

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Top image from @anneniuniu/Unsplash