CURRENTS & BREAKING NEWS: Abused Filipino Worker in Saudi Arabia Pleads for Help (4) PHILIPPINE VILLAGE VOICE/The Filipino Web Channel - Redefining Community News Currents & Breaking News Volume 8, Issue No. 59 OPINION/COMMENTARY / News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody / . . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail) and the Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . . . . The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Sunday, November 9, 2014 ~ The bubbly 25-year-old mother was looking forward to the day when her economic situation in San Carlos City, Pangasinan in the Philippines would change significantly now that she has signed a contract to work as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia. The modest earnings would be better than nothing. But the spark would be gone soon after she started her work in Dammam. The three-member family she was to serve is actually a family of six children and three wives of her employer. Every passing day is an ordeal made worse by constant physical abuses, strenuous work and constant threats she would be gunned down by her employer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25-YEAR-OLD MANILYN BALLESTEROS Abused Filipino Worker in Saudi Arabia Pleads for Help By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC) and Reporters Without Borders TORONTO - A 25-year-old Filipino mother is in desperate straits to go back home to the Philippines and is constantly pleading to be rescued from her employer in Saudi Arabia following repeated assaults, physical attacks and continuous threats to kill her. For the last eight weeks, Manilyn Ballesteros, nicknamed Aning, has been begging Philippine diplomatic, labor authorities and her work recruiter, Rejoice Employment International Corp. in Manila, to help free her from her boss house in Dammam, which has become a virtual prison. Dammam, an eastern province in Saudi Arabia, is at least 400 kilometers from the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh. Travel by car would take more than four hours. Daig ko pa ang preso na lageng nakabantay sa pintuan ng kwarto ko, di ako nkakatulog ng maayos pg alam kong nandito xa. Walang lock kasi tong kwarto kaya yun din isa kong knakatakutan, Aning wrote on Oct. 31 describing her situation. So hopeless is she and so maltreated that she just wants to die, says her sister Mylene Ballesteros who regularly commutes from her hometown in Pangasinan to Manila to follow up the appeals. Pictures showing an emaciated Aning, her arms swollen and bruised, prompted Mylene to post them on Facebook where a province mate in Pensacola, Florida, Ms. Wilma F. Ventura, stumbled upon her repeated pleas for assistance. After exchanging messages, they found out that they were distant relatives. With her extensive contacts, Ms. Ventura then sought out her friends in both Philippine and foreign media, including The Filipino Web Channel, and other online and broadcast outlets. Videos of Aning on You Tube: 1. https://youtube/watch?v=W9Ih2kRq4TA&list=UUvYes5Po-yzJnGoYNnc_ueQ 2. https://youtube/watch?v=s3yHH0s8IOc&list=UUvYes5Po-yzJnGoYNnc_ueQ What unfolded was a horrifying account of Anings daily ordeal. At the very least, shes treated like an unpaid work animal - punched, slapped, kicked, whipped, fed with leftover food, deprived of sleep, divested of her cell phone and passport, and lately, threatened with death. Despite indications to inflict more harm on her, Aning is taking risks to surreptitiously contact her sister Mylene in Pangasinan and tell her about her sufferings in the hands of her employer who she identified as Shabab Ayed Aleatebi. He is reportedly a soldier who has six children by his three wives. Aning said two months after her arrival in May 2014, she has been ordered to work on three households, leaving her only three hours to sleep. What I am told to do is the work of three people, she said in Tagalog in an email to her sister and forwarded to this reporter by Ms. Ventura. On Nov. 3, Aning disclosed her grievance. Her exact words: Grabe magpatrabaho 2nd wife ng amo ko, isang gabi sumugod siya dito at pilit pinapapunta s bahay nya para maglinis. Di ako makakapunta kako kasi pagod at masama pakiramdam ko. Pinilit nya talaga ako, hangang sa kinaladkad ako palabas, pinisil mukha ko at pinagsasampal. Sa takot ko pumunta nalang ako kasi pati amo kong lalake nagagalit na. Tuwing sahod ko wala sila inaabot sa akin, kaya sabi ko di rin ako magtatrabaho. On this same day, Aning reported what they did to her. She wrote: Nagalit amo ko,bumwelo sya at sinipa ako na muntik ko ng ikatumba. Pati anak nyang panganay tinadyakan ako hinampas sa likod at kinuha ako sa damit pilit pinapalabas sa kwarto. Sa tuwing babangitin ko sahod ko nagagalit sila kaya nagsawa na din ako kasi lumuhod, umiyak ako sa harap nila wala pa din. Ilang beses na rin ako muntik makitaang nakahubad ng amo kung lalake, na kahit anung gawin kong ingay s loob ng cr para lang malaman na may tao sa loob,talagang pilit nya to binubuksan kaya nagbibihis na agad ako. The situation has worsened every passing day. On Nov. 5, one of her employers children grabbed her phone charger and destroyed it to prevent her from contacting her sister. On Nov. 7, Aning, using another phone, texted her sister, saying her boss, Shabab Ayed Aleatebi, hurt her again. She wrote: Sister sinaktan na naman ako ng amo kong lalaki, tinago ko dalawang phone ko kukunin daw niya at papatayin daw niya ako pagbalik niya. Tulungan mo ako sister please, tawagan mo agency ko ngayon na. On Nov. 8, Anings sister Mylene sent a message to Ms. Ventura, which she forwarded to this reporter, saying: Ipagpilitan pa daw ni Aning na uuwi siya bangkay na daw siyang makikita natin. Kinaladkad, pinagsasampal, tinagyakan at sinobsob sa lababo. Wala pang kain masakit daw katawan niya at nanghihina. Kinuha din pera niya, Malamig na daw doon, hindi man lang siya mabigyan ng jacket para hindi ginawin. Authorities at Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Riyadh contacted by this reporter through intermediaries have not responded to inquiries since last month. Anings recruiter in Manila, Rejoice Employment International Corp., has remained quiet on the issue. From what has surfaced so far, Aning seems to have been gypped. She claims to have signed a contract for six months but her boss, Shabab Ayed Aleatebi, told her she would not be let go until after two years. Aning recalls signing a contract indicating that she would be working in a family of three members. On May 7, 2014, the day of her departure, the person who brought her contract showed a different set of documents. I cant do anything because that was the day of my flight, she explained in Tagalog. Imelda PapinsFans SandiegoCa, Mylene Ballesteros, Alegria Fernandez Ventura,Wilma Wilma Fernandez Ventura, WilmaVentura RealEstate-North America,
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 17:17:40 +0000
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