Phil. Consulate mulls seminar for baby sitters

The Philippine Consulate is exploring the possibility of holding a special seminar-training for Filipino baby sitters in attempts to make them aware of federal laws on the protection of child rights, Consul Julia C. Heidemann said over the weekend.

Ms. Heidemann pointed out there are some ways of instilling discipline to children that are very common among Filipinos and other Asians but are already considered abusive under United States laws.

Spanking or even pinching, which are very common among Filipino parents as a way of instilling discipline to their children, may already be grounds for a child abuse case under federal laws, Ms. Heidemann told an interview.

“We are thinking of holding a seminar on baby-sitting because most of our Filipino caretakers here are not aware of federal laws on child rights and protection. There are a lot of things they need to know in terms of taking care of the children,” she explained.

Ms. Heidemann added that the Consulate and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office are not trying to find competent lectures for the proposed seminar, aimed at broadening the knowledge of Filipino caretakers on the proper handling of the children.

The Consulate’s plan to hold a baby-sitting seminar came in the wake of the arrest of Reynaldo Manila who was charged of involuntary manslaughter and child abuse in connection with the death of six-month old Nina Ricci Mendoza.

Her parents brought Nina Ricci to the residence of Mr. Manila on Oct. 27, 2000. The baby was brought to the Commonwealth Health Center the following day due to seizure and fever. She died last Nov. 5, 2000.

Doctors suspect the baby’s death was a result of the shaken baby syndrome, a form of child abuse which was discovered by a pediatric radiologist in the mainland U.S. in 1972.

The Consulate also warned all working parents to be a little more cautious in choosing caretakers for their children in order to prevent possible repetition of the incident which caused the death of Baby Nina Ricci.

“I know there are a lot of parents with the same predicament to have their babies taken care of by people they don’t really know well. We would like to warn them to be very careful in choosing a baby-sitter,” she added.

Ms. Heidemann pointed out that parents should check on past records of the possible caretakers for their children to ensure their safety and protection against possible harm.

Because of the incident, the Philippine Consulate was flooded with inquiries Wednesday last week from Filipino parents on the possibility of sending their United States-born children to the country without paying immigration duties and fees.

Ms. Heidemann said the consulate received numerous inquiries from Filipino parents who were alarmed by their children’s welfare in the hands of unlicensed baby-sitters on Saipan, and have started looking at sending their US-born babies back home.

Ms. Heidemann said children born to Filipino couples can be issued by the Consulate a Certificate of Recognition which may exempt their parents from paying Philippine immigration fees for their stay in the country.

The consul pointed out that important documentation are needed before a US-born child can be sent back and enter the Philippines, especially if the parents would want exemption from immigration fees.