OFW raped, videotaped in Saudi Arabia - senator

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipina worker in Saudi Arabia was held hostage, raped and videotaped by her employer and his friends, a Philippine legislator revealed Tuesday.

In a statement from Sen. Loren Legarda’s office, the Filipina woman reportedly managed to give her husband a call to inform him of the incident.

According to the information given to Legarda, the Filipina was raped by her employer and four of his friends. One even videotaped the act.

Legarda’s office refused to name the Filipina but said the victim was an Ifugao from the Quirino province.

The Filipina's relatives asked assistance from the Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Antonio Villamor in a letter dated May 21, but Legarda said that the ambassador has yet to give a reply.

"The OFW is virtually living like prisoner in her employer's house in Qatif in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, quoting a report from militant workers group Migrante International," read the statement sent to GMANews.TV.

Another Filipina, 43-year-old Fatima Maulana, was earlier reported to have been raped and killed in Kuwait earlier this month.

A domestic helper who has worked in Kuwait since 2002, Maulana was murdered last May 9 after a police report indicated that she failed to return to her employer’s house after taking a day off on May 6. Her decomposing body was found ten days later.

According to Medion, a Kuwaiti national named Mohammed Yassin Al-Mutairi, believed to be involved in Maulana’s case, was arrested.

In a resolution, Legarda urged the Senate Committee on labor, employment to conduct a full probe of both cases.

"Despite being unsung heroes, our OFWs have, ironically, not received the due protection they need from the government to secure their safety and welfare in countries where they work," she said in the resolution. -Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV

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