GMA meets pardoned OFW

A Filipina who spent 15 years in a Saudi Arabian jail for beating her employer to death was received by President Arroyo yesterday, a week after winning her freedom.

Sarah Dematera was given scholarships for her children and other forms of assistance from the government and private donors to help her start over.

"Welcome back, Sarah. Kalimutan mo na ang lahat. Ang importante ay maka-pagsimula kang muli dito sa ating bayan (Forget about what happened. What is important is that you can have a fresh start here in our country)," the President told Dematera.

Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said that Dematera was granted two scholarships by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the AMA Computer University courtesy of Special Envoy to the Gulf States Amable Aguiluz.

Dematera, who was turned over to the Philippine embassy in Riyadh on May 2, expressed gratitude for her a new lease in life.

She said other Filipino workers jailed abroad "should keep the faith, because the Philippine government is going to help them as well."

Dematera refused to give further interviews, saying she was happy to be back and free.

She said she was treated well by her Saudi jailers and was never harmed.

Dematera’s mother, Josie, thanked the government for its efforts to bring about the release of her daughter.

She emphasized though that her daughter needs to rest and recover from the trauma of having to stay in jail for close to 15 years while waiting for her death sentence to be carried out.

Mrs. Arroyo personally pleaded Dematera’s case with Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, governor of the Kingdom’s eastern province, during her May 2006 state visit.

When Dematera was sentenced to death by a Saudi court in November 1993, she had a four-year-old daughter and under Saudi law could not be executed until the child reached the age of 18.

After Mrs. Arroyo’s intervention, the family of the victim was understood to have accepted a payment of P48 million in blood money as settlement.

Brion said Dematera would be allowed to rest, undergo stress debriefing, and then be given government help to find work or pursue her education through a scholarship offered to her by Mrs. Arroyo. – With AFP