Family begs for help on Pinay DH who died 3 mos ago in Saudi

The relatives of Liza Tagud Bayubay, a Filipina domestic helper who died in Saudi Arabia three months ago, are seeking government help for the speedy repatriation of the body as well as a deeper investigation into the cause of her death. In a letter to GMANews.TV, Dipolog City Rev. Fr. Patrick C. Dalangin is asking authorities to shed light on the death of Bayubay who went to the Middle East kingdom in September 2005. Bayubay’s mother, Charita, sought Dalangin’s help in seeking more details into the case. According to the Saudi Gazette, Bayubay was comatose when she was admitted at the King Fahd Hospital in Hofuf on August 17, 2007. She died after a week at the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU). Apparently there was “evidence of multiple scars and wounds, burns all over the limbs, back, and abdomen, and evidence of septic shock from low blood pressure," said the medical report released to Saudi Gazette. In the same report, Labor Attache' David Des T. Dicang said the Saudi police in Rugaya, Hofuf requested the hospital authorities to submit a detailed medical report on the cause of Bayubay’s death. Al-Hofuf is a major urban center in the huge Al-Ahsa Oasis in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia "The police want to determine the direct cause of death, what parts of her body bore wounds, what objects or instruments were used to cause the injuries, and what caused her to become brain dead," Dicang told Saudi Gazette. Dicang also said the Police security crime department would gather the findings of the police and was assured that the investigation “will be fair." Bayubay’s employer is a couple—the wife is a teacher while the husband is a member of the police. Police in the Rugaya District told the POLO officials that the employer said the scars and wounds on Bayubay were self-inflicted "because she seemed to have gone out of her mind after she fell off a high place." Bayubay's family have appealed to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila to step into the case. Meanwhile, the Overseas Worker’s Welfare Administration (OWWA) is still waiting for the complete autopsy report on Bayubay’s body. In a phone interview on Monday, Dolor Alvero, OWWA duty officer, said that the autopsy report is being translated and an update will be made immediately to their office. However, Alvero didn’t say when the official report will be made available to the public. Aside from confirming the month of Bayubay’s death, Alvero was unable to provide other information regarding the case. It was also not immediately known whether Bayubay’s body will be repatriated soon. Calling home Upon her arrival in Saudi Arabia in September 2005, Bayubay made regular calls to her mother, under whose care she left her two children out of wedlock. Her mother Charita lives in Minaog, Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte. Six months later, Bayubay made her first remittance of P15,000 which she said represented her two months salary. Prior to leaving the country, Bayubay’s recruiter, a certain Mr. Amirudin promised her a monthly salary of P11,000 in Saudi Arabia. A certain Lolita Ogoc facilitated her deployment papers. She paid P8,000 to her local recruiter. Based on the employment details indicated by Fr. Dalangin, Bayubay was employed by Al Hadari Rect Office/Khalid Hamad Abdullah Al Muazen/Almuazen as a food server and was to receive 250 Riyals monthly for two years. The sheet also identified her recruitment agency as Al Khalid International Recruitment Services. In the weeks that followed, Bayubay’s calls became less frequent. She was able to send her last remittance (P7,500) in July 2006. Bayubay’s female employer was also said to sometimes chat with her mother in the few times she called. In February 2007, Bayubay asked her mother if she could send her employer a telegram saying she was sick and implored her to come home by June 2007. Bayubay, however, failed to give her address. Three months later, Bayubay made her last call to her mother to greet her “Happy Mothers' Day." Rape Victim? On August 30, Charita went to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) office in Dipolog City to inquire about her daughter whom she was told had been missing in Saudi Arabia. On the night she went to the DOLE office, she saw a television news report showing a Filipina supposedly raped in Saudi Arabia. When only came to know it was her daughter when the victim’s passport was flashed on TV. She immediately sought the help of Fr. Dalangin and went to the DOLE office the next day. A certain Angie Engalla told Charita that her daughter indeed died in Saudi Arabia but could not give other details about the incident. When Dalangin asked whether or not Bayubay was indeed the woman filmed being raped on TV, Engalla said ‘No.’ According to Engalla, they had been trying to reach Bayubay’s relatives for a long time while the latter was still confined in a hospital. They wanted to facilitate the means for Bayubay to talk to her mother. Engalla also noted that the case was “high profile." However, it was already too late as Bayubay died earlier in August. According to Alvero, the OWWA had been constantly updating Bayubay’s relatives about the case. As of now, Charita is still awaiting the ATM (automated teller machine) of her daughter which was purportedly being held by her employers. - Mark J. Ubalde, GMANews.TV