OWWA repatriates mentally ill maid.

Byline: Ronaldo Concha 

JEDDAH: A mentally disturbed and possibly abused domestic helper has gone home after a six-month ordeal, escorted by a Philippine Consulate official.

The woman of unreported age (whose name is being withheld to protect her privacy) left Jeddah on a Gulf Air flight to Manila on Saturday and arrived Sunday afternoon, according to Dr. Romualdo Exmundo, an officer of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

A concerned Filipina brought the woman to the attention of the OWWA in May.

"We tried to find her sponsor, but our information was short until we found her (recruitment) agency that lead us to get the data in POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration) and we were able to facilitate her exit visa," said Exmundo.

The woman is not violent, but when she came to the attention of consulate officials she appeared to be suffering from some sort of mental illness where she would dance around the room and pose as if she were being photographed.

The woman was sheltered at the Filipino Workers Resource Center maintained by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in Jeddah.

Currently there are about 70 distressed workers being sheltered there while their cases are being resolved.

Exmundo said the three other distress workers also left along with the woman on the flight to Manila: Jocelyn Baluyo, Maria Adoctante and Arnel Mendoza.

"We still have one more mentally disturbed distressed worker awaiting repatriation," he said. "We are hoping to send her home as soon as possible so she can get proper treatment and be with her family in the Philippines."

Runaway workers often face weeks if not months of working through their cases, especially if they have complaints against their employers.

Part of the delay involves the fact that most of these workers do not have their passports, or even any other form of ID.

People leaving the Kingdom must obtain exit visas aimed at reducing the chances of foreigners fleeing the country after committing crimes or leaving debts behind.

Further exacerbating the delay is the need for Philippine officials to verify the identities of these workers who may not have IDs. If sponsors of these workers are not cooperative, the delay can be longer, says Exmundo.

"The problem comes if the employer of the runaway worker will not cooperate," he said. "But we are not losing our hope. We will just do our way patiently so that our distress workers can go home."

Exmundo thanked his colleagues in the OWWA and the Philippine Consulate staff, especially Consul General Ezzedin Tago, for their support in repatriating the woman to her family in the Philippines.

Copyright: Arab News 2003 All rights reserved.

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