Career officers, retired ambassadors back Mauro

UPDATE: The Department of Foreign Affairs has said in an official statement that "it is not aware of the existence of those organizations and that their statements do not 'reflect the position of the department nor the sentiment of its career corps.'"

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 5:17 p.m.) — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Career Officer Corps and the Retired Ambassadors Association yesterday expressed full support for recalled Philippine ambassador Marichu Mauro as they called for due process instead of her vilification in media.

“We, the DFA’s Career Officer Corps and the Retired Ambassadors Association, hereby express full support to Ambassador Marichu Mauro who is being pilloried in the social and printed media over the unfortunate incident in Brasilia. That single incident should not define the character of Ambassador Mauro,” the groups said in a statement.

They said they all know Mauro, a career diplomat who has served in diplomatic and consular posts in Manama, Tel Aviv and Milan, where she was able to assist numerous distressed overseas Filipino workers.

“She has a very distinguished service record that spans three decades in promoting the welfare of our migrant workers, which is one of the three pillars of our foreign policy,” the statement said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. vowed that the maltreatment of a Filipino household staff by Mauro will be dealt with severely “to the fullest extent of the law.”

Locsin recalled Mauro, who was caught on video maltreating her 51-year-old housemaid. The footage, first aired by a Brazilian news outfit, went viral on social media.

He said the DFA would file administrative or criminal charges against her if evidence warrants.

“We also believe that Ambassador Mauro should be accorded the constitutional guarantees of due process, presumption of innocence and right to counsel instead of being vilified in the media. We should allow her to present her side in a fair hearing,” the statement said.

They noted that the ambassador’s private staff has not filed any complaint against her as of now, which is an “indication that she is open to forgiveness.”

“We are all human beings. We are not perfect,” the statement said, quoting the Bible: “He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.”