Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said Friday authorities in Saudi Arabia have filed a torture case against the employer of a Filipino domestic helper, who was forced to drink bleaching fluid after reportedly making a mistake in preparing tea.
“We would like to thank authorities in Saudi Arabia for filing the necessary charges against the employer who abused our kababayan. We are counting on our Saudi friends in ensuring that our kababayan would be able to obtain justice for the unthinkable deed committed against her,” Cayetano said in a statement.
The DFA chief cited a report of Philippine consul general Edgar Badajos in Jeddah, stating that authorities in Jizan province have completed their investigation on the case of Agnes Mancilla, 35, a household service worker from Infanta, Quezon.
The consulate general said Mancilla was rushed to the King Fahad Central Hospital sometime in April and placed under intensive care for internal injuries sustained after she was forced to ingest the chemical agent.
According to Badajos, Mancilla’s employer made her drink the cleaning solution after she reportedly made a mistake in preparing tea.
The diplomat said they later learned from Mancilla that her employer has been making her work for about 20 hours per day and only providing her with coffee for her meals.
Badajos said when consulate officials visited Mancilla at the hospital, she was bone-thin. Her back, ears, and arms also bore extensive injuries that could not have been self-inflicted.
According to lawyers retained by the consulate, Mancilla’s case will now proceed to full trial. The lawyers said if the employer is found guilty, she will be sentenced to a prison term plus possible lashing and financial compensation. /kga