Twenty-five years ago, Susan left her home in the Philippines to find a better job and life in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia at that time was enjoying rapid economic growth, along with other East Asian "tiger economies" such as Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. Susan soon settled down in her new country, marrying a Malaysian and having three children of her own. Now 50, Susan is a widow, and juggles two jobs as she struggles to make ends meet in Malaysia, amid rising living costs, the depreciating ringgit and a gloomy economic outlook. To supplement her main income, she provides manicure, pedicure and hair-cutting services on Sundays near the St John's Church in Jalan Bukit Nanas, Kuala Lumpur. "Now it's difficult to find money. People are scared to spend because of the goods and services tax (GST). "I'm a single mother and I have to keep on living and finding money," Susan told The Malaysian Insider as she carefully trimmed the hair of an elderly man. Despite her low fees – she charges RM5-RM7 for a haircut, RM20 for a pedicure and RM15 for a manicure – Susan counts herself lucky if she gets two customers in a day. She said she was only able to spare some money for her family in the Philippines during special occasions, such as the birth of a new family member or for a funeral. "I do sometimes send a bit of money to them, around RM300 like that," said Susan, who is fluent in Malay, English and Tagalog. The area outside the entrance of the church on Sundays is a hive of activity for many Filipinas, who take the opportunity to meet and catch up with one another, as well as to earn extra income to make up for the ringgit's shortfall in sending money back to their families. The ringgit has fallen to its lowest in 17 years, and is now past the RM4 against the US dollar. Gina Ramos, 40, operates her mixed rice stall here on Sundays, and has been doing so for the past three years, while working as a maid on weekdays. "My sister will cook the food at her house in Puchong and she will send it to me so that I can sell it here," she told The Malaysian Insider. Gina said she usually sent home 7,000 pesos each month, but it was becoming more difficult after the Philippine currency fell from 14 pesos to RM1, to 11 pesos to RM1. Filipinos Sharon Coendo, 47, and Rose Serano, 38, shared similar sentiments when met by The Malaysian Insider in the church's vicinity. The two domestic workers each take home a monthly salary of RM1,200, a figure that Sharon (pic, left) said has not changed for the past 16 years. But the depreciating peso has forced her to send more money back home each month – about RM800 instead of the usual RM600. She said the additional RM200 was necessary to ensure that her family in the Philippines continued to receive about 8,500 pesos a month. "With the money we earn from our full-time work, having just one job is not enough," said Sharon, who sells costume jewelry at the corridor leading to the church. Last March, Philippine ambassador Jose Eduardo III urged Putrajaya to review its minimum wage for Filipinos in light of the falling ringgit. He said household service workers should receive a salary of RM1,400 instead of RM1,200, as their contract states they should be paid US$$400 a month. In Budget 2016 tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on Friday, the minimum wage was raised from RM900 to RM1,000 for workers in the peninsular, and from RM800 to RM920 in Sabah and Sarawak. The higher wage, however, does not apply to domestic helpers. According to the Human Resources Ministry, there are 2.07 million foreign workers with temporary working passes in Malaysia as of December 31, 2014. – October 26, 2015.]]>
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