Three Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who were victimized by an illegal recruiter were finally reunited with their families in the Philippines through the extensive efforts and assistance of the Office of the First Gentleman. Adelia Dimayuga, Neriza Salazar, and Gimena Vergara endured untold suffering from the hands of their foreign employers before being rescued by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in coordination with the First Gentleman Foundation, Inc.

Dimayuga, a 34-year-old mother of three, and Gimena Vergara, 48, could not contain their gratitude to First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo for ending their ordeal. Salazar was in disposed at this time.

“We could not thank the First Gentleman enough for helping us. If not for him, we could have never returned and be with our families again,” Dimayuga said when they paid a courtesy to the First Gentleman recently to express their appreciation. Dimayuga had to mortgage their house to finance her application for a job in Lebanon . She ended up instead in Dubai , where her employer did not give her salaries for almost two years.

Vergara, who has four children, escaped from her Bahraini employer, whom she said would habitually beat her up. She and a friend jumped over the walls of her employer’s house to run away. The third OFW, Salazar, ended up in Syria despite being promised to work in Jordan.

The three unfortunate workers pointed to one Marlo Salagubang as the one who recruited and promised them high-paying jobs abroad.

The First Gentleman learned of the OFWs’ plight from Simeon Malit, the victims’ neighbor, who asked the foundation’s help to save them. The Office of the First Gentleman immediately coordinated with OWWA and DFA.

“I am also thankful and happy that you’re now safe. We’re glad to be of service to you,” Mr. Arroyo told Dimayuga and Vergara. “However, the illegal recruiter should never go unpunished. We should find Salagubang and make him accountable for what he did. President Gloria will not condone people who abuse women and OFWs,” the First Gentleman said.

The First Gentleman instructed legal officer Robert Chuan OWWA to find, prosecute, and put Salagubang behind bars. Chuan vowed to assist the victims in filing charges against Salagubang in court and possibly to reclaim the money they had given to the illegal recruiter.

Meanwhile, Juris Soliman, president of the First Gentleman Foundation, Inc., also asked Atty.Chuan to extend livelihood assistance to the three OFWs.

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