Philippine embassy hit over advice to alleged rape victim in Saudi

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—The human rights group Migrante-Middle East slammed the Philippine embassy on Wednesday for advising a Filipino worker to amicably settle a rape charge she filed against her manager.

“The victim had been forced to settle her case amicably as per the advice of the Philippine embassy allegedly because the case is weak since there’s no evidence,” John Leonard Monterona, Migrante Middle East regional coordinator, told Arab News.

He was referring to the case of Sofia (not her real name) who has been working with a manpower supplier company whose manager allegedly molested her.

However, Vice Consul Rousel R. Reyes, head of the embassy’s Assistance to Nationals Section (ANS), told Arab News on Wednesday that the embassy had worked out the SR7,000 (about P80,896) demand of Sofia as compensation for the sexual abuse.

When told that Sofia started working again on January 17 for 16 hours daily after some time but received only SR250 (P2,889), Reyes said he would talk to Welfare Officer Nestor Burayag about the situation.

“But the conditions she had set forth in the affidavit which she signed had not been followed,” said Monterona. Reyes said he’d also discuss the matter with the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO).

The affidavit was also not signed by the signing officer of the embassy, but Sofia signed it.

“It smacks of insincerity on the part of the embassy to help her,” Monterona added.

In the affidavit, Sofia listed six conditions for her to settle the case amicably. These include disciplinary action by the company against the suspect and compensation for moral and physical damage that her former supervisor, who was an accomplice in the rape charge, be terminated and that the two individuals who injured her face be investigated and provide compensation.

One of her demands was that she would continue working if all the other demands are granted.

“On January 17, she started working again, although not one of her demands had been granted. She worked for 16 hours daily for 15 days but she received only SR250, which is a mere pittance,” Monterona said.

Sofia was supposed to receive a SR650 (P7,512) monthly salary, which is still less than the SR1,500 (P17,334) a month legal minimum wage the Philippine government requires before OFWs can be cleared for work abroad.

Migrante-Middle East also sent a letter of complaint to new administrator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Carlos S. Cao Jr., regarding the slow action on Sofia’s case.

Estrellita Hizon, owner of the UPPI placement agency in the Philippines that deployed Sofia, had also sent a letter to the human resources manager of the company in Riyadh regarding Sofia’s case.

“Please investigate the matter personally. This is very serious. I still have two girls with you. Despite the fact that their contract is almost finished, you still charge us for penalties, including plane tickets,” she said. “May I just remind you that it was really, really hard when we worked hard on the lifting of your suspension then. Please tell this to your staff so that they will care. I don’t want to interfere with your office matters but I can’t help it because my office is seriously affected.”

As a reaction, the company merely transferred Sofia to another site where she does not work anymore with the manager who had sexually assaulted her. –Rodolfo Estimo Jr., Arab News