In a report shared by GMA’s 24 Oras last Tuesday (Oct. 23), an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) was rescued by her friends after her employer locked her up in their residence for two days.
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Honie Grace Cortez dela Cerna and Regina Valdez put their own safety and jobs on the line when they extended a bag with a mobile phone, portable Wi-Fi, and food, from the rooftop of their residential building to the window where their friend Arna Ayunan was kept locked by her employer.
[VIDEO] Friends help out a Maltreated OFW in Kuwait
Acccording to Valdez and dela Cerna, their friend was being maltreated by her employer for several months already. They reported that Ayunan was not given any compensation during the last four months and was even prohibited by her employer to go back home when her husband passed away last April.
The video posted on social media was taken last October 15. Hours after the video was uploaded, Ayunan was allowed by her employer to go back home. However, she was only paid a month’s worth of her salary.
The rescued OFW from Maguindanao has now returned back home in the Philippines.
According to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Philippine Overseas Labour Office (POLO) in Kuwait has already reached out to the concerned foreign recruitment agency to get a report regarding the incident.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) shared that illegal detainment and other similar forms of abuse are among the reasons why OFWs requested to be repatriated from Kuwait since 2017.
At present, there are over 225,000 Filipinos working in Kuwait, a majority of which are domestic workers according to the data from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).