RIYADH, 12 May 2006 — Sixty-year-old Erlinda Balbuena, a native of Nueva Ecija province in the northern Philippines, got a pleasant surprise last Friday night as she was being presented a plane ticket during the finals of the TFC Popstar Contest for Saudi Arabia at the Philippine Embassy.

Apparently on cue, three young children went on stage and presented to her some pocket money for her trip home. What was totally unexpected was the sudden outpouring of sympathy from the crowd.

Touched by the example shown by the three kids, almost everyone from the crowd rose and gave their own donations, literally flooding Nanay Erlinda — as she is fondly called at the Bahay Kalinga shelter — with riyals and other currencies.

The crowd grew emotional when “Ugoy ng Duyan,” a Philippine lullaby, was played.

“I have never cried even if I got homesick, but this is so touching,” said Olan Bacani, a member of S.E.Productions (SEP), which donated the one-way ticket.

Nanay Erlinda herself cried unabashedly.

“Thank you, thank you,” she said, “I guess, I’ll be home at last!”

SEP, which was contracted by ABS-CBN Global to conduct the TFC Popstar contest in the Kingdom, gave Nanay Erlinda a special treatment because of the unusual circumstances of her case.

A widow and mother of two, she came to the Kingdom in 1991 to seek her fortune. To her dismay, she ended up like many other domestic helpers: overworked, underpaid and abused.

Her SR600 monthly pay was barely enough for her poor children. When she got sick, she had to spend her own earnings for medicines. For 15 long years, she was not allowed to go on vacation at least once by her employer, despite her advance age.

There was not a single day when I wouldn’t thing of my children at home. I just cried and hoped that one day, we would be reunited,” she narrated in Filipino during the show.

Nanay Erlinda said she was never allowed to leave the house where she worked unless accompanied by her employer. Whenever she asked for vacation, all she got were promises. She said she had long thought of leaving, but always lost heart.

Early this year, however, she and a fellow domestic help started plotting their escape. With only SR2,000 in her wallet, they ran away and rendezvoused with some compatriots at Batha, the favorite shopping place of Filipinos in Riyadh. She was then brought to Bahay Kalinga, the Philippine Embassy’s shelter for runaway women.

“I had no clue where and what Batha was,” said Nanay Erlinda, who flew home Saturday night.

According to Rannie Basanta, chief executive officer of SEP, the donation consist-ed of 9,932 riyals, 5 euros, 5 Bahrain dinars and 670 pesos. Under current exchange rates, the total amount is more than P137,000.

“Hindi ko basta gagastusin ang halagang ito dahil ito ang tanging alaala ng mga tumulong para makauwi ako (I’ll make sure that this donation won’t be squandered),” she said, adding that she planned to put up a sari-sari (variety) store.

Those who contributed to Nanay Erlinda’s pocket money were just as happy as she was for making her regain her footing. To them, grandma was the celebrity of the night. She was even more popular than singer Alma Sheila Allen of Alkhobar, who was named Most Popular TFC PopStar for winning the most votes via the Internet.

“For me, grandma’s narration of her story tonight was the most memorable. It eclipsed the winning songs of Jasmine and Kimverlie because her story is the story of many of our compatriot women who sacrifice their comfort and security at home in hopes of making life better for their familiees,” an emotional mother said.

She was referring to Jasmine Mae Abrenica and Kimverlie Molina, both students of the Philippine School in Dammam (PSD), the champions of the event. They will represent the Kingdom in the Mideastwide grand Popstar contest in Dubai next month.

Before her flight, Nanay Erlinda was a bit hesitant to leave without seeing the “three angels” whose appearance onstage sparked the mass outpouring of sympathy.

“Nawa’y lumaki silang maganda ang buhay at patnubayan sila ng Diyos (May they grow up blessed and guided by Almighty God,” she said.