Harassed Saudi OFW comes home

Mariz Anne Micua, the 26-year-old overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Saudi Arabia who sought help from Daily Tribune’s digital show Usapang OFW after alleging sexual harassment by her male employer, is scheduled to return to the Philippines on Thursday.

This was confirmed by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Undersecretary for Foreign Employment and Welfare Services, Felicitas Bay, through reports from Al Khobar Labor Attaché Hector Cruz Jr.

Micua is currently staying at the Migrant Workers Office in Al Khobar while awaiting her flight. She is expected to arrive in the Philippines on 31 January via a Gulf Air connecting flight from Dammam to Bahrain, before continuing to Manila. Her flight expenses are being covered by her Philippine recruitment agency, Anchor International Manpower Service Inc., and her employer.

On 28 January, representatives from Anchor International Manpower, located in General Malvar, Malate, Manila, declined to provide a statement when visited by Daily Tribune. They conveyed through their security personnel that Micua would be returning home and that updates should be sought from the Department of Migrant Workers.

Micua first experienced harassment from her employer and his son in November of last year, with the most recent incident occurring this month. She reported the incidents to her employer’s wife but was met with jealousy and further mistreatment.

In an interview with Daily Tribune on Wednesday, Micua shared that her male employer continues to send her messages, claiming that she fabricated the allegations and demanding that she apologize upon her return to the Philippines.

One of the messages from her employer stated: “If you want, go to the Philippines, clear your conscience, you can fix this problem. After you reach your country, you can send a letter of apology, stating that what you mentioned was incorrect for the purpose of traveling to my country, and that everything you said is not true.”

Micua’s employer also told her that she had “destroyed” his house and created “a big problem.”

She expressed her gratitude to Daily Tribune for assisting with her repatriation.

“Thank you very much. If not for you (Daily Tribune), I probably still wouldn’t be able to go home,” Micua said.