JEDDAH, 3 October 2004 — The fate and whereabouts of a Filipino domestic helper who has been missing for several months remains a mystery despite rigorous efforts by members of the Filipino community in the Kingdom to locate her.
Marites Caroro Edris, a native of the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur, was reported missing for several months and family members are desperately asking for assistance in locating her.
Parallel efforts by the Philippine mission and community organizations, however, have proved fruitless so far.
Ambassador Bahnarim Guinomla has instructed his staff at the Philippine Embassy, including the labor and welfare officers, to use all possible means and resources at their disposal to locate Marites.
Jane Edris, sister of the missing OFW and a resident of Ohio in the United States, said Marites last wrote her mother in Panduma, Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur, in October 2003. The following month she made a phone call, informing the family members that she’s working as a domestic helper and was being sent to Abha to take care of a disabled man.
That was the last communication and she’s gone without a trace, according to Jane. Sensing that something was wrong, Jane reportedly wrote the embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah in May seeking help in locating her sister.
Impatient over the lack of at least an acknowledgement, she sought help from the MOTHER Movement chaired by Perla Vega, which promptly passed on the word to Ka Raffy David and his famed Filcoyan (Filipino Community in Yanbu) group.
David said the community leaders in Abha had also been helping in the search but to no avail. He said records obtained from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) showed that Marites’ principal employer is the Al-Hadari Recruitment Services Inc. with local agency named Al-Khalidi International Recruitment Services Inc. She is registered to have a two-year contract with a $250 monthly salary. Records also showed that her direct employer is Al-Makman Clinic.
Jane claimed, however, that the recruitment agency had denied sending her sister abroad despite the records her sister had sent to her family. The family of the missing OFW is reportedly filing a complaint with the Presidential Task Force for Anti-Illegal Recruitment headed by the tough former police officer Rey Jaylo.
Appointed by President Gloria Arroyo to head the task force in June, Jaylo has promised to take no prisoners in his war against illegal job recruiters.
Filipino community members and other friends of the Filipino people in the Kingdom, meanwhile, are being asked to contact the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh or coordinate with community leaders they know if they have information on the missing OFW’s whereabouts. The embassy could be reached at (01) 488-0835, 482-3615 or 428-1856.