SINGAPORE: A Singapore employment agency worker has been jailed for helping a businessman hire a maid as an office administrator, in a case that cuts to the heart of how seriously Singapore guards its work pass system.
On Feb 10, Filipina, Villarosa Ma Lourdes Mananghaya, 42, was sentenced to four weeks’ jail and fined S$2,500, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported on Feb 12. She admitted to making a false statement in a work pass application and overcharging a foreign domestic worker beyond the legal fee limit. Two other charges were also taken into account during sentencing.
The case began when Singaporean Shehzad Shamsuddin Karimi, 50, the director of Prince Emporium, struggled to hire local part-time administrators for his food-trading business. The court heard he was having difficulties with local part-time administrative staff who were unsuitable for his business operations.
After two work pass applications by Villarosa on behalf of Prince Emporium were rejected by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Shehzad asked Villarosa if they could apply for a foreign domestic helper instead. The plan was simple on paper but unlawful in practice. The “maid” would work as an administrative employee in his company.
In July 2024, Villarosa introduced 31-year-old Filipina, Bariquit Christie Ann Abapo, to Shehzad. The three discussed the office role in a chat group, and Bariquit knew she would not be working as a domestic helper.
In September 2024, Villarosa submitted an application for a domestic worker’s permit. On Sept 2, she signed a declaration stating that Shehzad would employ Bariquit as a maid at his residence. The court heard that this arrangement lasted about two-and-a-half months, from September 3 to November 12, 2024.
The financial side of the case added to the breach. From July to October 2024, Villarosa collected S$3,200 from Bariquit to facilitate the issuance of the work permit and job placement. The salary declared by Bariquit was S$750 per month. The cap under the Employment Agencies Rules was S$1,500. Villarosa’s fee exceeded that limit by more than double.
When questioned by an MOM employment inspector in December 2024, Villarosa said she had intended for Bariquit to work as a domestic worker. She changed her statement in February 2025.
The prosecutor said a work permit would not have been issued if MOM had known Bariquit would be working as an office administrative assistant. He added that Villarosa’s false declaration “adversely affected the integrity of the work pass framework” and that she had exploited a foreign employee by illegally overcharging a fee on her.
For making a false statement in a work pass application, Villarosa could have faced up to two years’ jail, a fine of up to S$20,000, or both. For overcharging agency fees, she could have been fined up to S$5,000.
Bariquit was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on Feb 12. Shehzad’s case is ongoing before the courts.
Singapore’s work pass system is strict for the reason of balancing business needs with local jobs and protecting migrant workers from abuse. When someone sidesteps the rules, it affects trust in the whole framework.
Hiring gaps are real, and so is the pressure to keep a business running. But the courts have made clear that bending the system is not a shortcut. It is a crime. The deception was deliberate and sustained, and the message from the court bench is that the work pass framework is not a formality. It is the law.
