“Called ‘Justice for Romilyn Eroy-Ibanez! Justice for All Victims,’ the campaign aims to bring to the attention of the concerned authorities pending cases of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) that need to be acted upon,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante Middle East’s coordinator.
Romilyn Eroy-Ibanez was found unconscious in the kitchen of her sponsor's house in Alkhobar in September 2010 with acid burns and stab wounds. She was taken to King Fahd Hospital by the Red Crescent where she died a few hours later.
“More than four months have passed after her gruesome death was reported but no charges have been filed because no police report has been received by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in the Eastern Province or the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh,” Monterona said.
Other OFWs whose cases remain unsolved include that of Rowena Peremne Arceo, 33, who died mysteriously in Alkhobar on Oct. 22, 2008; Joy Cabansi Sarto, 28, who mysteriously died on Sept. 22, 2009; Lorena (not her real name), 33, who was allegedly raped in Dammam; Eugenia Baja, 24, who was reported to have committed suicide but her body bore stab wounds and bruises; Clara (not her real name), who was gang-raped at her employer's house in February 2007; Analyn de Pena, 33, who was reported to have committed suicide but her family believes that foul play was involved; Marilou Macam Ating, 37, who was reported to have fallen from the fourth floor of her employer's residence but her family believes that foul play was also involved.
The list of participants in the campaign include Migrante chapters in Alkhobar, Riyadh, Jeddah, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Libya and Kuwait, the ABC Group in Riyadh and the Saudi chapter of the Christian-Muslim Alliance for Justice and Peace in the Philippines.
