A look and a heart that cared.

That was what started the rescue of a Filipina helper in distress here in the Land of the Morning Calm more than a year ago.

Vicky, a Hong Kong national living in the same building where the family of the Middle Eastern employer of Risa (not her real name) lived, was on her way to pick up her child on a chilly February afternoon. She noticed a frail-looking lady in light clothes wearing slippers going out to throw the garbage. It could have been a normal daily routine except she was not dressed for protection against the cold. Vicky was alarmed.

Her subsequent interactions with Risa were limited. First, Risa’s movements outside of her employer’s residence were few and far between. The times she would go out of her employer’s apartment were unpredictable, too. She wasn’t given the liberty to go in and out of the apartment. Second, Risa didn’t have a cellphone. More aptly put, she was not allowed to have a cellphone. Third, Risa spoke in limited English.

Vicky gave her an old jacket and a pair of shoes to protect her from the harsh Seoul winter only to learn the employer took it and asked her to throw it away. That gave Vicky a big reason to let me know (we are co-parents in the same school) about Risa’s predicament. She made it clear to me that I needed to answer phone calls from her as soon as she calls for chances were, she was just going to surreptitiously make the phone call to allow us to talk. A perfect opportunity happened when Vicky found Risa in the convenience store when she was asked to buy milk by her employer.

With a very limited time, I learned she was brought over to Seoul from the Middle East (thus, no record of her in the Philippine Embassy in Seoul). She was not given her salary for 5 months. She was not allowed to call her family back home. Last time she talked to her mother was when she was still in the Middle East and her mother was already sickly then. Her passport was confiscated by her employer. Food was scarce for her while living with the employer’s family. Her ultimate goal was to escape before they return to the Middle East which was happening any time that month. She wasn’t given the exact date of departure.

I knew it was appropriate to let the Philippine Embassy know of her case. So, on February 6, 2018, I sent a message to Consul General Kit de Jesus and he promptly referred me to Seoul PE’s Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s (OWWA) Attache, Ms. Mila Nuval-Pena. We continued to keep in touch but we were unsure how to go about it because of the circumstances surrounding Risa.

On the night of February 12, Vicky called me with the urgency that Risa was going to escape at dawn the next day. The luggage of the employer’s family were already being prepared so it was an indication that they were leaving for the Middle East soonest (Risa was not informed until the end when the exact departure date was). Despite the plan, Vicky and I weren’t sure if she would have the courage to indeed escape. But we kept our guards up. And I informed Ms. Mila that Risa would attempt to escape from her employer.

At 3am of February 13, I received the call from Vicky. She was on her way to my apartment to bring Risa. Time was essential. The employers do their prayer at dawn and the moment they find out she was missing, they can ask the management for CCTV footage and would have found out that she was in Vicky’s house.

Even knowing this risk, I applaud Vicky for her bravery and I am grateful to her husband for supporting her. I am also grateful to my husband for opening our house to Risa. I gave her breakfast at 3:30am (or was it her dinner, I was not even sure of that) and she devoured her food in no time.

That dawn of February 13, Consul General Kit de Jesus, OWWA Attache Mila Nuval-Pena and ATN Glenn Corpin were quick to respond to my calls and messages. Risa was turned over to the Embassy safely.

Risa’s passport was recovered, thanks to the OWWA and POLO staff who took charge of her case. Ms. Mila updated me about her case and had me talk to her on the phone (as per SOP, I wasn’t informed of her location for safety purposes) until she was safely brought to the airport for her flight back home to the Philippines on February 16.

I asked Vicky why she took notice of Risa’s plight. She was very concerned, she said. This was around the time news about Joanna Daniela Demafelis, whose body was stuffed inside a freezer in Kuwait, surfaced. She was afraid for Risa.

She cared. So, she took action.

How is this relevant to us?

• Even in the Land of the Morning Calm, we should remain vigilant. We are each other’s keeper.
• A non-Filipino cared enough for our kababayan. We should, too!
• Our Embassy helps. Get in touch with the relevant Division that can handle matters you are bringing their attention to. Here’s the Philippine Embassy website: Official Website of the Embassy of the Philippines in Korea

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