Press Release
November 1, 2008

Another maltreated OFW from Bahrain thanks Villar
for her quick repatriation

Another overseas Filipino worker (OFW) was reunited with her family after Senate President Manny Villar facilitated her repatriation.

Maria Cecilia Batalla, a native of Obando Bulacan, expressed her gratitude to Villar, whose prompt intervention expedited her repatriation to the country within a matter of days.

"I am deeply honored and happy that through his (Villar's) help, I was able to join my family here within days," Batalla said.

Batalla was a domestic helper in Bahrain who sought the Senate President's assistance following her escape from her employers. She sought refuge at the Philippine Embassy in the said country. Batalla attested that after merely a week following her escape, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) facilitated her repatriation with Villar's push.

"I was forced to leave my employers because I can no longer endure their cold-heartedness and hardships they subjected me to," Batalla tearfully narrated.

She said they treated her like an animal and beat her up at the slightest mistake. There were also several times when she was doused with hot water on her face and body.

"They were merciless, sick people who felt no remorse whatsoever," said Batalla who still bore bruises and scars inflicted by her employers.

According to Batalla, the final straw happened when her employer quietly slipped into her room and attempted to rape her. Batalla jumped from the second floor of her employer's residence to escape her ordeal and ran to the employment agency she applied for, and eventually to the Philippine Embassy.

"The following day, I was accompanied by a Filipina friend to the police station and filed charges against my employer," Batalla said.

In the police precinct, Batalla gave in to the pleas of her employer to withdraw her charges in exchange for the release of her passport and two-month salary so she could return home. Batalla went to Bahrain with a tourist visa in February 2008. An agency, which she identified as Al Qasser Manpower, scouted for her employer with whom she signed a two-year contract.

Villar has facilitated the repatriation of OFWs not only from Bahrain but also from other Middle East countries as part of his advocacy to respond to severely distressed OFWs. With his personal funds, he has sponsored the return tickets of many Filipino migrant workers who would have stayed longer in foreign land due to government bureaucracy.

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