PGMA wants justice for OFW in Singapore

GUIMBAL, Iloilo (PND) -- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered today the Philippine Embassy in Singapore, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and Congressman Janette Garin (1st District of Iloilo City) to ensure that justice will be given to the Filipina maid who was allegedly maltreated in Singapore.

At the same time, she ordered Garin, OWWA and the Department of Social Welfare and Development to see to it that the financial, livelihood and educational needs of the family of Lea G. Taronas, 34 of Barangay Igacocolo, Guimbal, would be adequately met since she is still incapacitated to look after her children and barangay kagawad husband, Daniel.

OWWA Region 6 Director James Mendiola told local reporters that Taronas’ plight was first brought to the attention of Cong. Garin by Kagawad Taronas who complained that his wife has not communicated for quite some time and has not remitted any funds to the family.

Garin then asked the Philippine Embassy in Singapore to look into the condition of Taronas in the hands of her Singaporean employers. It was then that they learned that she complained of being tortured, punished, beaten up and made to live in animal-like conditions.

She was brought home by OWWA and the Embassy on July 8 and was immediately placed in isolation for one week at the Western Visayas Medical Center for possible H1N1, but was found negative. Still, she had recurring high fevers so the doctors did further tests and found her to have acute tuberculosis (or what doctors call cavitary TB, meaning there were already big holes on the lungs) plus she had advanced pneumonia and severe depression, said WVMC Director Dr. Jose Mari Fermin.

Her tuberculosis, being in advanced stage, is considered highly communicable, which is why doctors advised the President not to meet her at the hospital as she had earlier requested.