THE chairman of the House committee on overseas workers affairs on Wednesday sought to expel Philippine ambassador to Brazil Marichu Mauro from foreign service should authorities find her guilty of allegedly maltreating her household service staff as recorded in the video.
Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) party-list Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza, panel chairman, demanded an investigation so that Mauro and other concerned people who failed to act with dispatch to prevent the supposed barbaric treatment will face appropriate charges.
“Should Ambassador Marichu Mauro be found guilty, she should be expelled from the foreign service. We are not tolerant of the abuse of workers, especially when we condemn the barbaric treatment our workers receive at the hands of their foreign employers,” Mendoza stressed on the case of Mauro whose assignment was recalled by Foreign Affairs Sec. Teodoro “Teddyboy” Locsin Jr. after she was caught in the video allegedly maltreating her 51-year old Filipina household service staff.
“An investigation into those who may have been complicit to the savage treatment received by the worker should be launched, and legal charges should be filed against them,” Mendoza pointed out.
On Sunday, the Brazilian news channel GloboNews reported the incident captured by a security camera and documented by an anonymous employees where Mauro was seen in separate incidents allegedly berating and maltreating her helper multiple times inside the diplomatic residence.
The videos showed that Mauro was seen allegedly slapping, pulling the victim’s ear and hit the helper with an umbrella.
“We in labor are utterly shocked at the behavior that was exhibited by Ambassador Marichu Mauro in the videos that were released. It is absolutely disgusting for a civil servant, and someone supposedly representing the interests of the Filipino people in a foreign country to so cavalierly beat and mistreat their employees. And for what reason? Because she believes she is entitled to harm others who she may think to be in a lower station than her? Our OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) are hailed as our bagong bayani yet we cannot even protect them from abuse at the hands of our own diplomats,” Mendoza said.
“There is abuse of our kapwa Filipino being done overseas, right under the very noses of our government! This is a very difficult situation, with the worker vulnerable and fearful for their job while in another country no less. Government needs to strengthen its mechanisms for reporting instances of abuse so that workers can do so without fear of retaliation. Where was the labor attaché in this case? How long this worker has been suffering in silence?” Mendoza asked.
“We are hopeful that basic human decency would be sufficient to prevent these situations from happening, but it is unfortunate that we cannot expect such from even the supposedly most dignified members of the government. We have filed a resolution calling for the ratification of ILO (International Labor Organization) Convention 190 (Violence and Harassment Convention) and we will do our best to ensure its passage,” the lawmaker added.
