MANILA — The Consulate General in Jeddah wants appropriate charges against the Filipina household service worker’s employer who allegedly forced her to ingest household bleach in Saudi Arabia.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the government is in close coordination with authorities in the oil-rich state regarding the case.
The Filipina, identified as Agnes Mancilla, a household service worker in Jeddah, remains in a serious but stable condition at the King Fahad Central Hospital in Jizan in southwestern Saudi Arabia, the DFA said.
“We would like to assure our kababayans that we are working closely with authorities in Jizan to make sure that justice will be given to Agnes Mancilla,” Consul General Edgar Badajos said.
Mancilla was rushed unconscious by concerned members of the Filipino community to the Jizan King Fahd Central Hospital on April 2, after her lady employer allegedly forced her to ingest household bleach.
Mancilla immediately underwent laparotomy after she was taken to the hospital to flush out the bleach from her stomach. Doctors also found burn marks on her back.
Badajos said Consulate officials visited Mancilla and made representations with authorities in Jizan to make sure that appropriate charges are filed against her employer, who was later arrested by police.
“The Consulate will regularly send representatives to Jizan to follow up her case with the police and to look into her condition,” he added.
He said the Consulate General has also requested the assistance of the Filipino community in Jizan to help monitor the condition of the Filipina worker.
He said Mancilla, who had been working Saudi Arabia since 2016, was repeatedly abused by her lady employer. (Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/PNA)
