Pinay Maid in Distress in Saudi Finally Repatriated
An ailing Filipina helper who claimed being maltreated by her Saudi employers was repatriated Thursday, a Saudi-based news site reported Saturday.
The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh told Arab News that Sarah Grace Suriaga, 35, was finally on her way to Manila.
Suriaga had posted online a video where she claimed she is being maltreated by her employers. The video went viral online.
Ali Al-Asmari, director of Public Relations and Social Affairs in Asir, was quoted as saying the committee that handles disputes between employers and employees could examine the case.
Dr. Hadi Al-Yami, general supervisor of the Human Rights Commission in Asir, added his department is working with relevant authorities to check the video’s credibility.
Arab News noted many human rights advocates picked up Suriaga’s video.
It said that when it published news about Suriaga’s situation, her employer ordered her immediate repatriation.
The report quoted the Philippines’ Overseas Labor Office’s staff in the Eastern Provinces as saying a final exit visa and ticket were issued for her.
Recovery from illness
Arab News also quoted Suriaga, who has three children, as saying she already recovered from her urinary tract infection, the condition she had referred to in her video.
“Actually I was getting my salary every month but was sick from an UTI illness since Nov. 30 and wanted to go home,” she told Arab News.
She also said her employers had not physically hurt her but she had become homesick after working in the Kingdom for six months.