Filipina maids flee Malaysian employers, are back home

MANILA, Philippines—Three overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who ran away from their employers in Malaysia after allegedly suffering abuse have been repatriated to the Philippines, arriving on Saturday at 5 a.m.

Susan Ople, president of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center, said “Jobelle” of Davao del Norte, “Mary Grace” from Paombong, Bulacan and “Marilou” from Iloilo arrived from Malaysia where they had been working as domestic helpers for at least a year.

Ople said their return was made possible after the mother of Mary Grace—who had complained of sexual harassment by her 72-year-old American employer—had sought the policy center’s help.

It was Mary Grace who told the center she knew of others who wanted to return to the country as a result of the abuse they suffered, Ople said.

Ople said that Jobelle, for example, had said she ran away because she was being hurt by the 8-year-old son of her employer who, when told about it, did not believe her.

Marilou, for her part, complained of overwork and sleep deprivation after doing all the housework for a family of eight.

“If she slept for five hours, she was already lucky,” Ople said.

According to Ople, the center reached out to the Sipag Foundation of Sen. Cynthia Villar and former Sen. Manny Villar, which arranged the OFWs’ return flights.

The Sipag Foundation also provided all three with a livelihood package consisting of groceries and financial assistance on their arrival.

“All of (the OFWs) went through the legal process. Their advice to those who want to work as domestics in Malaysia: Prepare yourself mentally,” Ople said.

In addition to the three, Ople said an OFW from Qatar was also repatriated, this time by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Labor and Employment, and arrived in the country last month.

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