Mary Jean, whose husband Rogelio works in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, visited the Bantay OCW program at Radio Inquirer (990 AM) for possible assistance related to the financial support that her husband sends them through his mistress.
Last year, her husband sent them money only twice within a six-month period—P1,700.00 last July 2012 and P700 in October. Her husband claims he has no accountability to them.
Mary Jean burst into tears while relating her story. She said that even when they were still living together in Davao, her husband had been having an affair with another woman, so they decided to move to Manila. Mary Jean told Bantay OCW that her husband gets $400 a month as stipulated in his job contract, equivalent to more or less P16, 000. She is seeking legal assistance to be able to secure regular financial support from her OFW husband for their two children, aged two and six years old.
Bantay OCW tried to get Rogelio’s side but our calls were not answered.
Bantay OCW assured Mary Jean that she would be provided legal assistance by the Bantay OCW Legal team headed by Atty. Dante Mercado, Judge Conrado Zumaraga and Atty. Elvin Villanueva regarding this matter.
Forced to marry in UAE
Another OFW spouse, Wilson Pegollo, was also anxious when he came to Bantay OCW at Radio Inquirer.
According to Wilson, his wife Annalyn was having trouble with her employers in Dubai. She is now working with her third employer.
Annalyn left for the UAE on September 2012 to work as a household service worker. She did not stay long with her first employer. Annalyn blamed a fellow Filipino domestic worker for passing on negative information about her and destroying her relationship with her first employer. She got a job with a second employer it lasted only 10 days. Now her third employer has also sent her back to the recruitment agency supposedly after she refused to marry an Indian national who was a relative of her third employer.
Due to the her troubled experiences with different employers, Annalyn seems traumatized with overseas work. She cries often. She says she wants to go home but is being asked to pay P40,000 to cover her deployment cost.
After obtaining more details about the complaint, Bantay OCW referred the
case to Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. She was recruited by the local agency Al-Alamia Labor Supply, which has a counterpart principal agency in Dubai.
Bantay OCW is closely coordinating with Annalyn for the result of an investigation conducted by the Philippine Consulate in Dubai regarding her immediate repatriation.
Reader’s talk back
Here’s a response from a reader to an earlier column entitled “A wake-up call for overseas working moms”( published on Jan. 27).
Hello Susan, I empathize with Sarah’s situation. My eldest sister has 12 children. I helped them all, including some of my sister’s grandchildren, get a college education. Like Baby in your story, two got pregnant while still in college.
Two of my sister’s eldest children are now in the USA. I paid for all their expenses coming to the USA … not to mention for their education there in the Philippines. I was expecting at least one of them to come and help me here in New Jersey.
Do you think they would even answer my phone calls? Such ingratitude.
You are right, our kindness to our own relatives make us slaves to them. God Bless, Chris.
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Susan Andes, aka Susan K. is on board at Radyo Inquirer 990 dzIQ AM, Monday to Friday 11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon & 12:30-2:00 p.m. with audio/video live streaming: www.dziq.am Studio: 2/F MRP Bldg., Mola St., cor. Pasong Tirad St., Makati City. Helpline: 0927.649.9870
E-mail: susankbantayocw@yahoo.com/bantayocwfoundation@yahoo.com