(Eagle News) — A Filipina domestic helper who was allegedly beaten up by members of her employer’s family is being held by Kuwaiti authorities after she allegedly stabbed her employer.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said on Friday, Sept. 7, that Ulambai Singgayan from Maguindanao, who is facing felony charges, is under hospital arrest for reportedly attacking her employer who had threatened to move her to another house where she would allegedly be killed, and to have her visa revoked.
Chargé d’Affaires Charleson C. Hermosura said that while Singgayan had “visible bruises in her face, chest, and arms” and X-ray results showed she had internal bleeding in her abdomen, it was unclear if she had been maltreated by her employer prior to the alleged stabbing.
“Our Embassy in Kuwait continues to look after our kababayan… and is coordinating with authorities to ensure that her rights are protected,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola said.
“Ulambai and her family here in the Philippines have our assurance that the DFA will provide her with legal and other assistance that she may require,” she added.
News of the incident broke months after the Philippines and Kuwait signed a pact for the protection of Overseas Filipino Workers in the Middle Eastern country.
The agreement was signed after a souring of relations between the two countries following the rescue by Philippine embassy authorities of distressed OFWs.
Kuwait at that time considered the act as illegal as its government was supposedly not informed of the rescue beforehand.
