Condition of OFW forced to drink bleach improving —DFA exec

OUT OF ICU SOON



The condition of the OFW who was forced to drink bleach by her employer in Saudi Arabia has improved and she may be out of the Intensive Care Unit soon, a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official said Wednesday.
Interviewed on QRT, Elmer Cato, acting assistant secretary of DFA's Office of Public Diplomacy, said the information came from Consul General Edgar Badajos who has been monitoring the condition of the OFW, Agnes Mancilla.
"Sinabi niya (Badajos) na nag-improve na ang condition ni Agnes at malamang by this time nailipat na 'yan sa isang regular ward, kasi nasa ICU siya in the past several days dahil sa injuries resulting from ingestion ng chlorox," Cato said.
Mancilla, 36, a native of Infanta, Quezon, is currently under observation in a hospital in Jizan following the incident. A fellow househelp rushed her to the hospital on April 2, a day after her female employer forced her to drink bleach.
The employer was arrested immediately after Mancilla was brought to the hospital but was temporarily released pending an official statement from her.
"Dahil hindi pa makapagbigay ng statement itong si Agnes dahil unconscious siya ay temporarily ni-release siya (employer) muna sa custody ng kanyang mga kamag-anak," Cato said.
He added that Mancilla has since given her official statement which is now with the prosecutor.
Cato said Saudi authorities have vowed justice for Mancilla. "Sila mismo nagsabi hindi katanggap-tanggap ang ginawa ng kanyang amo," he said.
Mancilla's family is set to visit her in Saudi Arabia with the help of her recruitment agency in the Philippines, Cato added.
"Kahapon ay nag-apply na ng passports ang members ng family ni Agnes at napag-alaman namin na tinutulungan sila ng recruitment agency niya dito sa Pilipinas," he said.
Philippine authorities are planning to bring Mancilla to Jeddah from Jizan to be able to monitor her more closely. —KBK, GMA News

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