Employer of maltreated house helper also an abuse victim

In an ironic twist, the employer of abused house helper Bonita Baran on Wednesday admitted to being physically abused herself and had even once filed a complaint against her spouse.
 
This was revealed during the day's hearing by the Senate labor committee, which has been investigating the alleged abuse suffered by Baran at the hands of the couple Analiza and Reynold Marzan.

Mrs. Marzan initially denied suffering at the hands of her husband but later on admitted it when asked why she filed a complaint for violation of the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children against him.
 
"What prompted you to file the case against your husband? Ang asawa mo ba binubugbog ka?" Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, chairman of the committee, asked Mrs. Marzan.
 
"May isang beses na nasaktan niya po ako, ‘yun lang po," Mrs. Marzan answered, adding she later on decided not to pursue the case for the sake of their children.
 
"Hindi naman po perfect ang pagsasama namin pero hindi ko po tinuloy ‘yan dahil sa mga anak namin," she said.
 
"Finile ko po ‘yan pro hindi ko na sinipot," she said of the complaint.

Case "very much alive"
 
But Quezon City prosecutor Irene Resurreccion, who was also present during the hearing, said the case was "alive."
 
"It's very much alive in fact a warrant of arrest is issued by Branch 225," she said.
 
She said Mrs. Marzan, in her complaint, claimed to have suffered beating and psychological violence from her husband.
 
Tell the truth
 
At the start of the hearing, Mrs. Marzan, who along with Reynold surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation last Monday, appealed to Baran to "tell the truth."
 
"Bonita, alam ko biktima ka rito ng mga pangyayaring ito, ganun din kami biktima naman ng maling akusasyon," said Mrs. Marzan. "Maawa ka sana sa aming pamilya lalo na sa mga alaga mo na sobra na ang takot."
 
Baran had accused the couple of repeatedly hitting her with plates, vases and a broomstick. She added her female employer once pressed a hot flat iron on her face, damaging her eyesight. 
 
But on Wednesday, Mrs. Marzan denied doing any of this and said Baran inflicted most of her injuries on herself. "Ang saktan siya... ay kailan man ‘di namin magagawa," she said.
 
She even said Baran was in fine condition when they let her go home to her province last May 22.  She said they were surprised to see her on television on June 27 accusing them of abusing her.

Abused child
 
Mrs. Marzan also said Baran's father used to place her inside a sack and tie her upside down and beat her up, and that Baran's mother filed a case against him.
 
Baran's mother, Erlinda, admitted she once had her husband arrested but only because he was drunk and they were having an argument regarding one of their daughter's remittances.
 
Baran, meanwhile, maintained that Mrs. Marzan is the only person responsible for her injuries. "Ito po ay ginawa niya sa akin kailangan panagutan niya ito. Halos araw-araw niyang inulit-ulit ginawa niya sa akin," she said.
 
Baran's sister, Olivia, said her sister was not in a sorry condition when she came to work for the Marzan couple.

Liar
 
"Ang galing, galing mo magsinungaling," she told Mrs. Marzan.
 
According to forensic consultant Dr. Erwin Erfe, Baran's injuries "were inflicted at various stages."
 
"This is characteristic of an individual being abused or tortured," he said during Wednesday's inquiry.
 
Baran said Mrs. Marzan started to physically abuse her in mid-2008, the same year her employer filed the case against her husband.
 
Estrada, for his part, said he did not believe Mrs. Marzan’s claim that she could not have hurt Baran.
 
"Hanggang ngayon ay ikaw pa rin ay nagsisinungaling," he said, although adding her guilt is for the court to decide. — KBK, GMA News