[3] In 2003 he was conferred by President Arroyo the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Datu, the highest award a member of the Philippine Foreign Service could receive.
[8] The New York state minimum wage was $7.15 per hour while Baja has openly admitted paying his maid an average of $6.60 per day.
Norma Baja hired New York attorney Salvador Tuy to file answer and moral damage counter suit against their former maid.
It’s either because she’s looking for monetary considerations since she filed a civil suit before the New York Southern District court where she can seek back wages or she’s trying to prolong her stay there (in the United States)."[9][10][who?]
In her three-month stay with the family, Baoanan received $200 pocket money monthly and $800 went to her family in the Philippines: “The salary of $1,000 was required by the US Embassy before (Baoanan’s) visa was issued.” Baja stated he was also puzzled by silence of Hilario Davide, Jr., Philippine representative to the UN: "I have not [heard] a word, nothing.
"[13] Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) Chair Constancia de Guzman and Commissioner Jaime Jacob filed criminal cases with the Ombudsman against Baja on March 12 for violations of the Government Procurement Act, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (R.A. 3019), the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees,[14] and of technical malversation.
[16] On 29 March 2011, Lauro Baja was charged by the Office of the Special Prosecutor with two criminal cases, one for malversation of public funds and another for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.