Cebuana OFW wins case against recruitment agency

A Cebuana overseas worker, who was maltreated and sexually-harassed by her employer in Saudi Arabia, won her case against a recruitment agency at the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) and was awarded $2,000 and P30,000.

The NLRC's Regional Arbitration Branch 7 Fourth Division dismissed the appeal of SAF International Services based in Manila and ordered it to pay $400 as reimbursement of the victim's placement fee plus 12 percent interest per annum; six months salary amounting to $1,200 and another two months salary amounting to $400 to Jorgia Villaver Cosep.

NLRC-RAB 7 also ordered the recruitment agency to pay Cosep P20,000 for moral damages and another P10,000 for exemplary damages.

Cosep is still set to file criminal charges against her employer, Dr. Anwar Abdullah Al Rakan and his family for maltreatment and sexual harassment. The filing of the case is delayed due to lack of resources and the difference in our laws and that of Saudi Arabia.

She narrated that sometime in the third quarter of 2003, she met a certain Gloria Legara who claimed to be working as recruiter for SAF International Services, Inc. Due to good things she told her about the employers and compensations, Cosep borrowed money from her friends for her to go to Manila and apply at SAF.

Cosep, a resident of San Isidro, Talisay City is married to a security guard, with whom she has three children.

After passing the interview and medical examinations, Cosep left for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to work as domestic helper for Dr. Al Rakan on November 12, 2003. But before she left, she was made to sign a document that she would be paid US$200 plus free food payable at each month.

Upon arrival at the house of her employer, Cosep said that she was told about what were not allowed. The wife of Dr. Al Rakan allegedly told her that she could not use the phone, communicate with other domestic helpers and even with her family here in the country.

Cosep said she cleaned the four-story house and was made to do whatever her employer and his family told her to do. She was made to work continuously, except during meals, which she had to finish in 10 minutes. She was only allowed to take breakfast of tea and leftover bread of the previous day at 12 noon or later. She ate lunch at 6 p.m. and dinner at around midnight.

On many occasions, the victim added that Dr. Al Rakan also sexually harassed her by forcibly embracing and kissing her and showing her his sexual organ.

Cosep said, she planned to run away but she is always left locked inside the house and was never allowed to go out. Because of this, she added that she had considered committing suicide.

However, she was given hope when she met another Filipino worker only known as "Jerry," whose employer happened to be a friend of Dr. Al Rakan. Cosep handed over to Jerry a letter addressed to her husband in the Philippines.

With pressure from Cosep's recruitment agency and the government, her employer allowed her to leave. An Arab man reportedly brought her to the airport at about 10 p.m. of January 14, 2004, wearing only a pajama and jacket without even a single centavo in her pocket.

Upon arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, she was directly brought to a clinic where she was diagnosed to have multiple physical injuries secondary to trauma. She was later brought to Cebu where she filed the case against her recruitment agency. - Wenna A. Berondo