MANILA, Philippines - The labor official tagged in the sex-for-repatriation scandal by three alleged victims has no previous record of infraction as a bureaucrat.
But now, assistant labor attaché in Riyadh Antonio Villafuerte may face dismissal from government service – and possibly a long prison term – after he was accused of sexually abusing three distressed Filipina workers who had sought his assistance while taking shelter at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Villafuerte has denied the charges.
Based on information provided by the Philippine embassy in Riyadh, the 49-year-old Villafuerte hails from Tabuk, Kalinga province, is married and has three children residing in Sampaloc, Manila.
Before his stint in Riyadh, Villafuerte held posts at the labor department’s National Conciliation and Mediation Board. He also served as administrative assistant at the POLO in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Villafuerte obtained his law degree from the University of the East and took up masters in government management at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila in 2009.
Three Filipina workers – identified only as Michelle, Annaliza and Angel – surfaced recently to accuse Villafuerte of subjecting them to various types of sexual abuse in exchange for repatriation to the Philippines.
They said they had approached Villafuerte after escaping from their abusive employers.