Senator Cynthia Villar gave financial and livelihood assistance to the families of the two Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who were abducted and killed by the ISIS while working in Libya and the OFW “burned” by her Malaysian employer and 6 other distressed migrant workers to help them start a new life.
Villar noted that these OFWs suffered the pains of leaving their loved ones in the country to work abroad to give their families a better life, but they were not fortunate enough. They were victims of various forms of maltreatment from their employers.
The latest beneficiaries of the help being given by the Villar SIPAG, where the veteran legislator sits as its director, are the families of the late Roldan Blaza of Laguna and Wilson Eligue of Bataan, both abducted by the ISIS last March 6, 2015 and both reported dead by their respective employers on September 19, 2017.
Roldan worked as a cook while Wilson was a processed operator. Their wives are seeking for help to support their children since the companies of their husbands failed to give them any assistance. The help was personally handed by the seasoned lawmaker to the wives of the slain OFWs – Elizabeth Blaza and Aileen Eligue at the Padilla Room, Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City.
Also given assistance which consisted of cash and “Sari-Sari store package” from “All Home” are Joramie Torres, of Bacoor, Cavite; Reah Marmojada, 33, Las Pinas City; Angelica Cardenas, Ilocos Sur; Maria Maribeth Lingat, 36, Tarlac City; Shan Kervin Victorino, 31, Muntilupa City; Mary Jane Fernandez, 41, Ilocos Sur; Normelita Noynoyan, 42, Rizal;
The lady senator said Torres is a public school teacher who left the country on December 2016 to work as domestic helper in Malaysia. Last September 1, a Filipino couple found her in an abandoned lot full of bruises, burns and boils.
Torres has been appealing for help since she is the breadwinner in their family.
Marmojada returned to the country last September 10 after working in Damman, Saudi Arabia, for a year. She worked 16 hours a day, serving two houses, and was not allowed by her employer to have a day off.
Cardenas went to Singapore to help her family and send her child to school. But things did not turn well for her since she was maltreated and oftentimes, was not given food by her employer. She opted to return to the Philippines after one year and three months.
Also a breadwinner in a brood of five, Lingat left the country for Abu Dhabi on July 2016. She also helped in the medication of her 70-year old father. But her employer was very strict. She was detained for nine days at Al Awir Immigration as her agent held her passport on learning that she was looking for another employer.
Victorino worked as a waiter in a small restaurant in Dubai and met an accident such that his employer refused to give him work and decided to send him home. He was then supporting his aging parents and sending his siblings to school.
Fernandez, a mother of a 7-year old left the country on June 19, 2016 and returned “penniless” on July 30, 2017 because her employer in Kuwait did not pay her salary.
Noynoyan, also a mother of a seven-year old, went back to the country after working as domestic helper in Kuwait for two years and nine months on July 18, 2017. She was mauled by his employer on several occasions.
Villar cited the need to help our repatriated OFWs to cope with the difficulties of leading a comfortable life after leaving their jobs abroad. She noted that some of them went home penniless as they were not given their salaries.
“So we need concerted efforts of both the public and private sector in order to help them with their livelihood. They remain to be the country’s “modern day” heroes due to their significant contributions to our economy.
“Their remittance of billions of pesos every year help keep our economy afloat,” added Villar, a known advocate of the rights and welfare of our OFWs. In further reconizing the sacrifices of our OFWs, she has sponsored and authored several legislations during her nine years as member of the House of Representative and now as a senator.