Abused OFW rescued in Riyadh

A Filipina domestic worker who suffered abuse in the hands of her employer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has been rescued through the Sumbungan ng Bayan, according to a report on "24 Oras." Sumbungan ng Bayan.

Victim Janine Mallari, 24 years old, recalled enduring the “inhumane” treatment of her employer where she worked for six months before being hospitalized after drinking chemical bleach.

The report showed pictures of her legs with bruises and burns.  Mallari also claimed not being allowed to contact her family in the Philippines.  She gets paid P20,000 for her work.

“Yung amo kong babae, ayaw na kinakausap ko yung pamilya ko, anak ko po. Ayaw niya po na may pahinga… nung nagpabalik po ako ng agency binalik din po ako ng agency don sa amo ko. Ayaw po nila akong i-change employer,” said Mallari, who shared she decided to work overseas to provide a better future for her two-year-old son.

(My female boss does not want me to contact my family and even my son. She doesn’t like it either when I rest. When I asked her to take me back to my agency, my agency returned me to her. They do not want me to change my employer.)

Prior to the incident, Mallari said she repeatedly appealed for help from her agency PHILAMASIA Labor Pool but did not receive any response. She then sought refuge at the staff house of the agency’s counterpart in Riyadh where she stayed for about a month.

According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), her agency did not file a report on her incident.

“Wala pong report made yung agency..within ito sa critical incident considering na may attempt to take her own life,” lawyer Francis Ron de Guzman said.

(The agency did not file any report… this is within the critical incident considering there’s an attempt to take her own life.)

If proven negligent, the agency may face suspension or even possible revocation of its license supposedly valid until July 2023.

“Kung mapapatunayan natin na may negligence sa part ng agency maaaring mauwi sa posibleng suspension nang mas matagal pa o posibleng cancellation ng license ng agency. We will also initiate the necessary proceedings against the employer nang di na makapagpadala doon in the future,” he said.

(If we prove there’s negligence on their part, the agency may be suspended. Their license may also be revoked. We will also initiate necessary proceedings against the employer to ensure it can no longer send Filipinos abroad.)

PHILAMASIA Labor Pool, meanwhile, denied Mallari’s allegations and said her employer paid for her medication and hospital fees. It also explained changing employers in Saudi Arabia is difficult due to the sponsorship-based visa system there.

Mallari safely landed back in the Philippines on March 25 and thanked Sumbungan ng Bayan for heeding her call.

For its part, POEA assured her of assistance in claiming her benefits and in helping her start anew.

“We will readily endorse this to OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) para po makuha na po yung benefits niya at may masimulan siya dito pagbalik niya,” said de Guzman.

(We will readily endorse this to OWWA for her to immediately claim her benefits and start anew.)—Sundy Mae Locus/LDF, GMA News