RP envoy scores Pinay over false rape claim

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine ambassador to Saudi Arabia Antonio Villamor criticized a Filipina helper who retracted her claims of being imprisoned by her sponsor and gang-raped by four men. Online news site Arab News reported Thursday that Villamor made the Philippine embassy stood by the woman's original claim that she was imprisoned and raped. "(The OFW) flew to Manila last week after the embassy's intervention and now she is retracting her confession for the reasons best known to her... This kind of misleading attitudes of our workers will harm our bilateral relations," said Villamor. "The embassy stands by its report that upon representation by the embassy officer, the Qatif Police summoned the employer on May 26 to present the OFW and shed light on the case. The employer agreed to let the OFW leave and to shoulder the repatriation costs," he added. Villamor said embassy officials had interviewed the helper in Qatif and that she did not sign any confession that she made up the charges against her employer and four men "under duress." The official said that when he heard about the alleged rape, he dispatched a consular officer and an interpreter to Qatif, some 600 km from Riyadh, to look into the case and assist the woman. The local Migrante-Middle East social welfare organization, which advocates the welfare of overseas Filipino workers, also appealed for the Filipino worker. But Villamor lamented the case has now taken a new turn now that she retracted her confession of false charges on reaching Manila. He cited reports that the woman claimed Saudi police forced her to sign a piece of paper in Arabic and she does not stand by that document being treated as confession. Villamor also noted the woman had reiterated her thanks to the embassy for her repatriation. She informed him her employer gave her additional SR4,250 to cover her travel expenses. - GMANews.TV