Filipino maid rescued after FB cry for help

2 more months

She said she fought back, but her employer’s son tore off her undergarment, kicked and punched her.

After telling the incident to her employer, she said she was told to wait for two more months.

Her employer promised to buy her a plane ticket but using her money since she was unable to finish her contract.

“I want to go home. I don’t want this,” she said airing her fear that her attacker could have impregnated her.

Luna had sought the help of the Philippine embassy in Bahrain but did not get any response.

In the same Facebook post, she wrote her address “Roundabout 7, Block 1208, Road 812, Flat 813, Hamad town, Bahrain,” to help embassy officials locate her.

“Tulungan niyo ako (Help me), please,” Luna pleaded in the video with her hands clasped.

The video was first picked up by tabloid newspaper Bandera, a sister company of the Philippine Daily Inquirer which then tipped off the Inquirer.net and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Luna’s Facebook plea became viral and was reported in the Inquirer platforms, including Bandera and Inquirer.net where it became the most read story yesterday. Inquirer.net then referred her case to DFA.

On Thursday, the DFA confirmed that embassy personnel in Bahrain were able to rescue Luna and bring her to safety.

“The embassy worked with her local recruitment agency to get her out of her employer’s house,” Jose said in a text message.

Jose said Luna had filed a case against her attacker and police investigation into the incident was underway.

Philippine authorities took Luna to the hospital, according to Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Hans Leo Cacdac.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said an initial check showed that Luna has no record with the POEA.

This was confirmed by Cacdac, who said: “We do not have her name in our database.”

Luna is among an estimated 10 million Filipinos working overseas to escape poverty and high levels of unemployment in the Philippines.

Last year, a Filipino maid, Nargelene Mendez, was rescued from a house in Saudi Arabia after posting a video on her Facebook page claiming her employer had abused her. AFP, with reports from Niña P. Calleja and Tina G. Santos

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