RIYADH, 8 March 2005 — The Philippine Embassy announced yesterday that 29-year-old domestic helper Blondie Colot Jumawan left yesterday for her hometown of Josefina in Zamboanga del Sur, southern Philippines, on board Saudi Arabian Airlines flight No. SV862.
“I thank her employer for his cooperation. He was nice and very professional. He did not only pay for the fare of Jumawan but also shouldered the two-way ticket of Maria Lopez Sedano, who will accompany Jumawan,” Minister Mariano A. Dumia, Philippine Embassy charge d’affaires, said.
Jumawan was supposed to leave for the Philippines last Feb. 14 and was taken to the King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
But instead of taking her flight she was found loitering and giving away money at the airport, giving the impression that she was out of her mind.
Jumawan’s employer did not renew her contract after two years on the job.
“Sometimes she was so quiet. She did not talk,” Dumia quoted the employer as saying. The employer was worried about Jumawan’s mental health.
On Feb. 15, she was taken by the police and detained until she was rescued by an embassy team headed by Dumia one week later.
“I am happy that she has finally left the Kingdom,” Dumia said.
