Filipina maid abused in Singapore

MANILA, Philippines—A Filipina maid who bore bruises and scars from suspected physical abuse is urged to file charges against her former employer.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it will support Lea Tarronas if she decides to file such a complaint.

Tarronas returned to the Philippines July 8, after some prodding from officials of the Philippine embassy in Singapore.

Embassy officials interviewed Tarronas on July 7, after her Iloilo-based husband asked the embassy’s help, said Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Minda C. Cruz in her report to the DFA.

Tarronas bore visible signs of possible abuse and was emaciated, an embassy official told INQUIRER.net.

“Lusaw ang tenga nya (Her ears seemed like they melted). She had scars on her face and neck, but she denied that she was being abused. Her employer’s mind control over her was phenomenal. We interviewed her for four hours but she refused to implicate her employer,” said the official who asked to remain anonymous as he is not authorized to speak in behalf of the embassy.

The official said even the personnel of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration wept at the sight of Tarronas’s bruises and scars.

Fearing that Tarronas would suffer more in her employer’s hands, Philippine officials at the embassy offered to bring her to the hospital and the police. But Tarronas refused and decided to go back to her employer’s residence.

“We couldn’t illegally detain her at the embassy,” the official said, so he and his colleagues sought the assistance of the Singapore Police Force to investigate her case for possible abuse.

The ambassador said the Singapore police dispatched an officer to assist Tarronas but failed to convince her to file a complaint or seek medical treatment.

“But we were able to convince her to return to the Philippines,” the official who requested anonymity said.

At the same time, the ambassador said Tarronas’s return to the Philippines does not preclude her from filing a criminal complaint against her employer after she has fully recovered.

“The DFA will assist her in every way it can, together with OWWA, to ensure that she obtains justice and tormentors punished to the full extent of the laws of Singapore,” Cruz said.

In the meantime, the Philippine embassy has recommended that Tarronas be provided with all necessary assistance to ensure her speedy recovery, including counseling services to address the trauma she may have experienced.–INQUIRER.net