Rescued!

Last Saturday, September 6, at a preparatory meeting for the October 12 Marian Festival to be held at the Mito Church in Japan, Gerlie from Joso Church shared about a relative in Riyadh who needed urgent rescue from her abusive employer. The female relative was reported to have been raped by the male employer. When the relative reported this to the employer's wife , rather than accosting the husband, the wife beat the relative instead. The family of the abused Filipina was frantic to get her out of that household before the situation got worse.

The picture of the abused Filipina was posted in Facebook by concerned individuals. Family and other friends tried to ask for help and prayers from all over. The abused Filipina was also able earlier to give her address to her family.

As the report about her rape and abuse was disseminated on a weekend, hope of reaching government officials in the Philippines and Riyadh was very slim. The family of the abused Filipina readied themselves to ask media for help.

Saturday evening, Gerlie was linked to Ellene Sana of the Center for Migrant Advocacy, a very reliable NGO all out to assist our Filipino migrants throughout the world. Director Mely Nicolas of the Commission for Filipino Overseas, always a champion for our migrants, was also contacted.

Within less than an hour, Ellene relayed this message to Gerlie, via Ms. Anna Gonzalez, another CMA staff- "please ask OFW in Riyadh to contact Labor Attache Resty de la Fuente at +966551699548. This was not easy to do for the abused OFW as her cellphone had been confiscated by her employer. CMA offered to send SMS to the labor attaché. Prayers continued to be lifted to heaven for the urgent rescue of the OFW.

By Sunday morning, director Mely sent an email requesting her CFO staff to work on this rescue request immediately and to contact all the appropriate people from various related government agencies. In the afternoon, Ms. Ivy Miravalles, officer- in-charge of the frontline division of CFO, emailed the information that "the Embassy in Riyadh was looking into the information sent in response to CFO's request."

Two hours after, Ms. Ivy sent the following: "I just received a call from Vice Consul  Redentor Genotiva. Apparently, they have tried locating the address mentioned in the report but found out that there are still some missing information about the address given in the facebook forwarded post/message.  Vice Consul has contacted and directed the agency who deployed her to KSA and also asked the assistance of the local police."  Ms, Ivy requested that, In the interest of time and urgency, the immediate relative connect with Vice Consul the soonest time possible at +966 56 035 5474 and e-mail address:  [email protected]. Ms. Ivy also provided her mobile number and email address.

Contact was established directly with the family of the abused family and finally, with some important information, by about 6 in the morning of Monday, September 8, Gerlie wrote the happy news and confirmed shortly thereafter by Ms. Ivy that she "had just spoken with the sister of the abused OFW and was advised that the Embassy called them this morning."  She confirmed that their abused OFW family member was coming home "and her case will still be pursued by the Post in KSA." Ms. Ivy requested for the family to inform her about "the exact date and time of arrival of their family member or so CFO could send one counselor/case officer for debriefing and case management." Ms. Ivy wrote that "POEA will be very helpful on her case" and that she "was able to inform Admin Cacdac of this particular case also last Sunday."

Together with the family and concerned Filipino friends of our abused OFW, we would like to thank director Mely Nicolas and Ms. Ivy of CFO, Ellene Sana and Ms. Anna of CMA, and the following mentioned by Ms. Ivy: to the Post in KSA, particularly to Ambassador Tago and Vice Consul Redentor Genotiva and their team, who worked very hard to locate our abused OFW last Sunday."

Mabuhay po kayong lahat! Padayon in the service of God and our people!!!

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