Manila Standard Today
November 30, 2010
by Rey E. Requejo
THE Justice Department has decided to pursue qualified trafficking charges against businessman Mariano Tanenglian, his wife and two children, an offense for which no bail is allowed and which carries a life sentence.
The case stems from a complaint filed in 2009 by a former maid, Mary Jane Sollano, who accused Tanenglian, the brother of taipan Lucio Tan, of keeping her against her will, beating her and forcing her to work without pay.
Tanenglian, his wife Aleta and children Fayette and Maximillian also face charges for serious illegal detention and child abuse.
In a resolution dated Nov. 24, Justice Undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar reversed a review resolution that cleared the Tanenglians of qualified trafficking and serious illegal detention.
“After careful evaluation, we find that there is reasonable ground to believe that respondents, in addition to the charge of child abuse, likewise committed the crime of serious illegal detention and ... qualified trafficking,” Salazar said.
The Tanenglians’ lawyer said the Quezon City Regional Trial Court had already dismissed the very same cases that the new Justice Department resolution now wanted reinstated.
“It does not matter if this is done before or after the arraignment of the accused[,] or that the motion was filed after a reinvestigation or upon instructions of the Secretary of Justice who reviewed the records of the investigation,” Raymundo Quiroz said, quoting a 1987 Supreme Court ruling.
Sollano said she was recruited in Zamboanga del Sur in June 2004, when she was only 13, to work as a domestic in Manila. She said that during her stay with the Tanenglians, she was forced to work from 4 a.m. to midnight without being paid, and that she suffered cruelty and ill treatment at their hands.
The first time she suffered physical abuse from her employers was in July 2004, when she was slapped several times by Aleta for having committed a mistake in her work, she said. After that, she was slapped, kicked, choked or slammed against the wall whenever she made a mistake.
She was also made to undress while the respondents took nude pictures of her and threatened to expose those to the public. She was beaten, chained by her neck until she could hardly breathe, and scalded with hot water when she was caught taking food from the refrigerator.
She was finally able to leave the house five years later, on Aug. 10, 2009, after another maid left and told her father of Sollano’s condition.
The father, who thought Sollano had died, coordinated with the Quezon City police, the Commission on Human Rights and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, to get his daughter back.
A similar complaint was filed by Aljane Bacanto, who had also worked as a domestic for the respondents. She said she was 16 when she started working for the Tanenglians, she was not paid, and she and the other maids were not being fed enough that they were forced to steal food from the dogs. The Tanenglians asked other maids to strip naked and to do their chores without any clothes on.
They were all locked inside the house and were prevented from leaving. Bacanto said she was made to write letters to make it appear that she was in good hands when she was not.
Bacanto was finally freed when she got hold of a cell phone and called her mother, who tried to fetch her from the Tanenglian residence.
She recalled that she was sent one morning to the airport and sent home, and only later did she find out about her mother’s attempt to rescue her.
Bacanto filed charges of ill treatment and serious illegal detention against the Tanenglians.
On Jan. 12, 2010, the investigating prosecutor recommended the Tanenglians’ prosecution for qualified trafficking, serious illegal detention and child abuse, but a review dropped the first two charges before they were restored by the latest Justice Department resolution.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Anti-smuggling summit
Manila Standard Today
by Manny Palmero
November 25, 2010
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and chairman Jesus Lim Arranza of the Federation og Philippine Industries firm up a memorandum Of agreement expressing the government-private sector joint effort to stop smuggling. The federation conferred awards for outstanding practices on four companies (lower panel): Sura Sak Kraiwitchaicharoen of Mariwasa Siam Ceramics Inc., Teodorico Funtanar of Taiheiyo Cements Philippines Inc., Delfin de Guzman of Honda Cars Philippines, and Ma. Socorro Prado of Holcim Philippines. They were joined by Ernesto Ordonez, president of Cement Manufacturers Association; George Chua, FPI president and Meneleo J. Carlos Jr., chairman.
by Manny Palmero
November 25, 2010
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and chairman Jesus Lim Arranza of the Federation og Philippine Industries firm up a memorandum Of agreement expressing the government-private sector joint effort to stop smuggling. The federation conferred awards for outstanding practices on four companies (lower panel): Sura Sak Kraiwitchaicharoen of Mariwasa Siam Ceramics Inc., Teodorico Funtanar of Taiheiyo Cements Philippines Inc., Delfin de Guzman of Honda Cars Philippines, and Ma. Socorro Prado of Holcim Philippines. They were joined by Ernesto Ordonez, president of Cement Manufacturers Association; George Chua, FPI president and Meneleo J. Carlos Jr., chairman.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Nail Torture Shows Maid Abuse in Mideast
Bangkok Post
November 16, 2010
Human Rights Watch Tuesday urged Middle Eastern states to protect migrant workers after two Sri Lankan maids returned from the region with shocking stories of torture by their employers.
The New York-based rights group said accusations by three Sri Lankan maids that they were forced to swallow nails or had nails driven into their bodies highlighted a broad pattern of abuse of migrant domestic workers.
"The wanton brutality alleged in these cases is shocking, but reports of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and labour exploitation such as non-payment of wages are nothing new," said Nisha Varia, HRW's senior women?s rights researcher.
"The governments of Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia need to show they take such allegations seriously, and create accessible ways for domestic workers to report abuse as soon as it happens."
In August, a Sri Lankan housemaid gained worldwide attention after she complained that her Saudi employer drove 24 nails into her arms, legs and forehead as punishment.
Most of them were removed by surgeons at Sri Lanka's Kamburupitiya hospital.
The Saudi government and private sector officials in Riyadh have questioned the credibility of the woman's allegations.
Surgeons on Monday removed the last five wire nails from another Sri Lankan housemaid who accused her Kuwaiti employer of hammering 14 nails into her body when she asked for her salary after working for six months.
The authorities in Colombo are investigating another claim from a third Sri Lankan maid in Jordan who has alleged that she was forced to swallow six nails when she demanded her salary.
Sri Lanka's Foreign Employment Bureau chief, Kingsley Ranawaka, said they were awaiting a medical report to decide on action regarding the woman who is said to have been admitted to a hospital in Amman.
Some 1.8 million Sri Lankans are employed abroad, of whom 70 percent are women. Most work as housemaids in the Middle East while smaller numbers work in Singapore and Hong Kong, seeking higher salaries than they would get at home.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/206695/nail-torture-shows-maid-abuse-in-mideast-hrw
November 16, 2010
Human Rights Watch Tuesday urged Middle Eastern states to protect migrant workers after two Sri Lankan maids returned from the region with shocking stories of torture by their employers.
The New York-based rights group said accusations by three Sri Lankan maids that they were forced to swallow nails or had nails driven into their bodies highlighted a broad pattern of abuse of migrant domestic workers.
"The wanton brutality alleged in these cases is shocking, but reports of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and labour exploitation such as non-payment of wages are nothing new," said Nisha Varia, HRW's senior women?s rights researcher.
"The governments of Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia need to show they take such allegations seriously, and create accessible ways for domestic workers to report abuse as soon as it happens."
In August, a Sri Lankan housemaid gained worldwide attention after she complained that her Saudi employer drove 24 nails into her arms, legs and forehead as punishment.
Most of them were removed by surgeons at Sri Lanka's Kamburupitiya hospital.
The Saudi government and private sector officials in Riyadh have questioned the credibility of the woman's allegations.
Surgeons on Monday removed the last five wire nails from another Sri Lankan housemaid who accused her Kuwaiti employer of hammering 14 nails into her body when she asked for her salary after working for six months.
The authorities in Colombo are investigating another claim from a third Sri Lankan maid in Jordan who has alleged that she was forced to swallow six nails when she demanded her salary.
Sri Lanka's Foreign Employment Bureau chief, Kingsley Ranawaka, said they were awaiting a medical report to decide on action regarding the woman who is said to have been admitted to a hospital in Amman.
Some 1.8 million Sri Lankans are employed abroad, of whom 70 percent are women. Most work as housemaids in the Middle East while smaller numbers work in Singapore and Hong Kong, seeking higher salaries than they would get at home.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/206695/nail-torture-shows-maid-abuse-in-mideast-hrw
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Asean ministers meet in Manila to tackle human trafficking
The Philippine Star
October 28, 2010
By Cecille Suerte Felipe
MANILA, Philippines - Ministers of the member states of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are set to discuss the problems of human trafficking, illegal drugs and terrorism in the region.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo welcomed his counterparts from the ASEAN yesterday as he stressed the need to strengthen regional cooperation and commitment against these crimes and the other transnational crimes.
Robredo said these issues would be the top agenda of the 10th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC).
“Organized crime groups that are operating across borders are taking advantage of the sophisticated weaponry, modern technologies and telecommunications,” Robredo told the ASEAN delegates during the formal opening ceremony at the Dusit Hotel in Makati City.
Robredo led the Philippine delegation with Undersecretary Rico Puno in the welcoming ceremonies.
Puno, chairman of this year’s SOMTC, explained the ASEAN SOMTC is the operating arm of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMC), the highest policy-making body on ASEAN cooperation in combating transnational crimes.
The SOMTC is instrumental in realizing the recommendations of the Vientiane Action Plan to develop the ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism, which has been signed by all ASEAN member countries.
Robredo, on the other hand, told the ASEAN forum that “the sophistication of crime groups should serve as a challenge for the ASEAN to work more closely together for a more comprehensive regional strategy against transnational crimes.”
“Crimes have evolved and taken many forms and these will continue to be an issue for all of us here,” he said.
Robredo said the Philippines was chosen as the Lead Shepherd for Trafficking in Persons (TIP), which has been in the forefront of regional and local actions against trafficking in persons.
Robredo said human trafficking is a significant issue in the Philippines since 2003, which prompted the government to enact Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.
The law makes us one of the first countries in Asia to have enacted an anti-trafficking legislation, Robredo pointed out.
Robredo told the forum that the DILG had issued several directives to local government units for the strict implementation of RA 9208 and the establishment of the necessary institutional mechanisms for the protection and support of trafficked persons.
He added the National Police Commission also issued guidelines for improving case management and initiating efforts towards addressing the problem of trafficking in persons.
Participants in the high-level ASEAN meet are senior officials from ASEAN member states of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
Representatives from international organizations also attended the forum.
“It is my hope that by the time this meeting comes to a close, we will be in a more strategic position to effectively address new and more sophisticated criminal threats, and closer to our goal of a peaceful and stable ASEAN region,” Robredo said.
This developed as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday said a Filipino was sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking.
The DFA told presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) Vice President Jejomar Binay that the Filipino was sentenced to death last Oct. 11 amid the state prosecutor’s petition for a lower sentence of life imprisonment.
The DFA did not identify the Filipino death convict but revealed she was a drug mule caught carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin at the Audisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta last April 25.
DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. warned that Indonesia and other countries have imposed stiff penalties on illegal drug possession.
“We warn our countrymen from carrying drugs when traveling overseas and especially not to accept packages which they suspect contain drugs, and also to be wary of the modus operandi being used by drug trafficking syndicates. If they are caught, they will face very dire circumstances,” Conejos said.
The DFA said some 112 Filipino migrant workers are now detained in China facing drug-related cases.
As of Oct. 21, 2010, the DFA said there are 76 Filipinos in China who have been convicted and sentenced to death for drug trafficking.
Of the 112 death penalty cases, 16 are OFWs charged for multiple murder/murder, murder with robbery, blasphemy and drug-related case.
The cases of 18 OFWs in Malaysia who were sentenced to death include drug trafficking, robbery with homicide, rape with homicide and murder.
Conejos said there are already 205 Filipinos facing drug trafficking cases abroad.
Meanwhile, the Blas Ople Policy Center, the Cravings Group and Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. yesterday launched a job training scholarship program for victims of illegal recruitment and human trafficking.
Dubbed as the “Skills-Up” program, the project aims to equip victims of illegal recruitment and human trafficking with housekeeping and barista skills to enable them to penetrate the local and overseas job markets.
For its initial phase, the Blas Ople Policy Center has recommended 20 scholars for the training program.
Susan Ople, president of the Blas Ople Policy Center said the 20 scholars, who are victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment, would undergo a three-month course on hotel housekeeping and barista training for free. – With Pia Lee-Brago, Mike Frialde
October 28, 2010
By Cecille Suerte Felipe
MANILA, Philippines - Ministers of the member states of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are set to discuss the problems of human trafficking, illegal drugs and terrorism in the region.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo welcomed his counterparts from the ASEAN yesterday as he stressed the need to strengthen regional cooperation and commitment against these crimes and the other transnational crimes.
Robredo said these issues would be the top agenda of the 10th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC).
“Organized crime groups that are operating across borders are taking advantage of the sophisticated weaponry, modern technologies and telecommunications,” Robredo told the ASEAN delegates during the formal opening ceremony at the Dusit Hotel in Makati City.
Robredo led the Philippine delegation with Undersecretary Rico Puno in the welcoming ceremonies.
Puno, chairman of this year’s SOMTC, explained the ASEAN SOMTC is the operating arm of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMC), the highest policy-making body on ASEAN cooperation in combating transnational crimes.
The SOMTC is instrumental in realizing the recommendations of the Vientiane Action Plan to develop the ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism, which has been signed by all ASEAN member countries.
Robredo, on the other hand, told the ASEAN forum that “the sophistication of crime groups should serve as a challenge for the ASEAN to work more closely together for a more comprehensive regional strategy against transnational crimes.”
“Crimes have evolved and taken many forms and these will continue to be an issue for all of us here,” he said.
Robredo said the Philippines was chosen as the Lead Shepherd for Trafficking in Persons (TIP), which has been in the forefront of regional and local actions against trafficking in persons.
Robredo said human trafficking is a significant issue in the Philippines since 2003, which prompted the government to enact Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.
The law makes us one of the first countries in Asia to have enacted an anti-trafficking legislation, Robredo pointed out.
Robredo told the forum that the DILG had issued several directives to local government units for the strict implementation of RA 9208 and the establishment of the necessary institutional mechanisms for the protection and support of trafficked persons.
He added the National Police Commission also issued guidelines for improving case management and initiating efforts towards addressing the problem of trafficking in persons.
Participants in the high-level ASEAN meet are senior officials from ASEAN member states of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
Representatives from international organizations also attended the forum.
“It is my hope that by the time this meeting comes to a close, we will be in a more strategic position to effectively address new and more sophisticated criminal threats, and closer to our goal of a peaceful and stable ASEAN region,” Robredo said.
This developed as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday said a Filipino was sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking.
The DFA told presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) Vice President Jejomar Binay that the Filipino was sentenced to death last Oct. 11 amid the state prosecutor’s petition for a lower sentence of life imprisonment.
The DFA did not identify the Filipino death convict but revealed she was a drug mule caught carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin at the Audisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta last April 25.
DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. warned that Indonesia and other countries have imposed stiff penalties on illegal drug possession.
“We warn our countrymen from carrying drugs when traveling overseas and especially not to accept packages which they suspect contain drugs, and also to be wary of the modus operandi being used by drug trafficking syndicates. If they are caught, they will face very dire circumstances,” Conejos said.
The DFA said some 112 Filipino migrant workers are now detained in China facing drug-related cases.
As of Oct. 21, 2010, the DFA said there are 76 Filipinos in China who have been convicted and sentenced to death for drug trafficking.
Of the 112 death penalty cases, 16 are OFWs charged for multiple murder/murder, murder with robbery, blasphemy and drug-related case.
The cases of 18 OFWs in Malaysia who were sentenced to death include drug trafficking, robbery with homicide, rape with homicide and murder.
Conejos said there are already 205 Filipinos facing drug trafficking cases abroad.
Meanwhile, the Blas Ople Policy Center, the Cravings Group and Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. yesterday launched a job training scholarship program for victims of illegal recruitment and human trafficking.
Dubbed as the “Skills-Up” program, the project aims to equip victims of illegal recruitment and human trafficking with housekeeping and barista skills to enable them to penetrate the local and overseas job markets.
For its initial phase, the Blas Ople Policy Center has recommended 20 scholars for the training program.
Susan Ople, president of the Blas Ople Policy Center said the 20 scholars, who are victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment, would undergo a three-month course on hotel housekeeping and barista training for free. – With Pia Lee-Brago, Mike Frialde
Monday, October 18, 2010
Statement Affirming Recent IACAT Anti-Trafficking Efforts
The Philippine Star
October 18, 2010
Human rights agency International Justice Mission (IJM) commends the Philippines Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) on its recent efforts to fight human trafficking in the Philippines.
When IJM offices in the Philippines began collaborating with local law enforcement to combat the trafficking of children into the sex trade in 2003, results were initially slow in coming due to several factors - including corruption and the low priority placed on the issue. Today, IJM is encouraged that the current administration under President Benigno Aquino III has made rooting out corruption and fighting human trafficking top priorities. To those ends, the administration has taken initial steps to eradicate corruption in its anti-trafficking response, starting with the Bureau of Immigration. Secretary of Justice Leila De Lima has promised to prioritize implementation of Republic Act No. 9208, including revitalizing the critical functions of IACAT in monitoring and coordinating efforts of the justice system to secure justice for victims of trafficking and protection for the vulnerable.
“We encourage the Aquino administration to continue to prioritize anti-trafficking efforts, to boldly push forward with aggressive anti-trafficking law enforcement and prosecution, and take strong and swift action against any corruption encountered,” said IJM Field Offfice Director in Cebu Andrey Sawchenko. "IJM condemns political interference in anti-trafficking prosecutions - particularly involving high-level suspects - as this prevents justice from being achieved for past, present and future victims."
In 2010 - for the second year in a row - the Philippines was placed on the “Tier II Watchlist” of the U.S. Department of State's annual Trafficking in Persons Report, putting $700 million of U.S. foreign aid in jeopardy if no significant improvement is made to meet international anti-trafficking standards. The efforts of IACAT in monitoring and coordinating the government’s response are of utmost importance to protecting society’s most vulnerable members and in enhancing international perception of the Philippines as a place where traffickers cannot get away with selling children.
IJM would be encouraged to see IACAT and its member agencies launch a strong, clear and continuous mandate for aggressive anti-trafficking action through dedicated, funded law enforcement units, and coordination with the Office of the Supreme Court Administrator to fast-track and closely monitor anti-trafficking prosecutions. Such steps would protect those being victimized today and provide a foundation for long-lasting efforts to eradicate human trafficking in the Philippines.
International Justice Mission is an international human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. In the Philippines, IJM works with the Department of Justice, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Philippine National Police and other IACAT member agencies to prosecute traffickers and perpetrators of sexual violence and promote a functioning public justice system.
October 18, 2010
Human rights agency International Justice Mission (IJM) commends the Philippines Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) on its recent efforts to fight human trafficking in the Philippines.
When IJM offices in the Philippines began collaborating with local law enforcement to combat the trafficking of children into the sex trade in 2003, results were initially slow in coming due to several factors - including corruption and the low priority placed on the issue. Today, IJM is encouraged that the current administration under President Benigno Aquino III has made rooting out corruption and fighting human trafficking top priorities. To those ends, the administration has taken initial steps to eradicate corruption in its anti-trafficking response, starting with the Bureau of Immigration. Secretary of Justice Leila De Lima has promised to prioritize implementation of Republic Act No. 9208, including revitalizing the critical functions of IACAT in monitoring and coordinating efforts of the justice system to secure justice for victims of trafficking and protection for the vulnerable.
“We encourage the Aquino administration to continue to prioritize anti-trafficking efforts, to boldly push forward with aggressive anti-trafficking law enforcement and prosecution, and take strong and swift action against any corruption encountered,” said IJM Field Offfice Director in Cebu Andrey Sawchenko. "IJM condemns political interference in anti-trafficking prosecutions - particularly involving high-level suspects - as this prevents justice from being achieved for past, present and future victims."
In 2010 - for the second year in a row - the Philippines was placed on the “Tier II Watchlist” of the U.S. Department of State's annual Trafficking in Persons Report, putting $700 million of U.S. foreign aid in jeopardy if no significant improvement is made to meet international anti-trafficking standards. The efforts of IACAT in monitoring and coordinating the government’s response are of utmost importance to protecting society’s most vulnerable members and in enhancing international perception of the Philippines as a place where traffickers cannot get away with selling children.
IJM would be encouraged to see IACAT and its member agencies launch a strong, clear and continuous mandate for aggressive anti-trafficking action through dedicated, funded law enforcement units, and coordination with the Office of the Supreme Court Administrator to fast-track and closely monitor anti-trafficking prosecutions. Such steps would protect those being victimized today and provide a foundation for long-lasting efforts to eradicate human trafficking in the Philippines.
International Justice Mission is an international human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. In the Philippines, IJM works with the Department of Justice, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Philippine National Police and other IACAT member agencies to prosecute traffickers and perpetrators of sexual violence and promote a functioning public justice system.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Nails Removed from tortured Sri Lankan Maid
BBC
August 27, 2010
Doctors have removed 13 nails and five needles from a Sri Lankan housemaid who said her employer in Saudi Arabia hammered them into her body.
LP Ariyawathie, 49, told staff at Kamburupitiya Hospital her employer inflicted the injuries as a punishment.
X-rays showed that there were 24 nails and needles in her body. Doctors said those remaining inside her body posed no immediate threat to her life.
The nails were up to 2in (5cm) long, a hospital official said.
"The surgery is successful and she is recovering now," Dr Satharasinghe said, according to news agency Associated Press.
Ms Ariyawathie, a mother of three, underwent a three-hour procedure.
Doctors said they would carry out further surgery later to remove the remaining nails.
'Deeply traumatised'
Ms Ariyawathie travelled to Saudi Arabia in March to become a housemaid.
Last week, she flew back to Sri Lanka and was admitted to hospital in the south of the island, where she told doctors she had undergone abuse for more than a month.
The doctors found 24 metal pieces in her legs and hands.
She could not sit down or walk properly, doctors said.
They said Ms Ariyawathie was deeply traumatised and unable to give full details of her experience.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan authorities have launched an investigation.
"We have launched a strong protest with the Saudi government through the external affairs minister, but there has been no response yet," Kingsley Ranawaka, chairman of Bureau for Foreign Employment, told the BBC.
Around 1.8 million Sri Lankans are employed abroad, 70% of whom are women.
Most work as housemaids in the Middle East, while smaller numbers work in Singapore and Hong Kong.
August 27, 2010
Doctors have removed 13 nails and five needles from a Sri Lankan housemaid who said her employer in Saudi Arabia hammered them into her body.
LP Ariyawathie, 49, told staff at Kamburupitiya Hospital her employer inflicted the injuries as a punishment.
X-rays showed that there were 24 nails and needles in her body. Doctors said those remaining inside her body posed no immediate threat to her life.
The nails were up to 2in (5cm) long, a hospital official said.
"The surgery is successful and she is recovering now," Dr Satharasinghe said, according to news agency Associated Press.
Ms Ariyawathie, a mother of three, underwent a three-hour procedure.
Doctors said they would carry out further surgery later to remove the remaining nails.
'Deeply traumatised'
Ms Ariyawathie travelled to Saudi Arabia in March to become a housemaid.
Last week, she flew back to Sri Lanka and was admitted to hospital in the south of the island, where she told doctors she had undergone abuse for more than a month.
The doctors found 24 metal pieces in her legs and hands.
She could not sit down or walk properly, doctors said.
They said Ms Ariyawathie was deeply traumatised and unable to give full details of her experience.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan authorities have launched an investigation.
"We have launched a strong protest with the Saudi government through the external affairs minister, but there has been no response yet," Kingsley Ranawaka, chairman of Bureau for Foreign Employment, told the BBC.
Around 1.8 million Sri Lankans are employed abroad, 70% of whom are women.
Most work as housemaids in the Middle East, while smaller numbers work in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Maids Abuse Case Hits Saudi Arabia
Aljazeera
August 27, 2010
A Sri Lankan woman working as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia says she has been severely abused for complaining about being overworked.
LT Ariyawathi's Saudi employers reportedly hammered 24 nails and needles into her hands, legs and forehead, which had to be removed later with surgery.
Sri Lanka's government says it will report the incident to Saudi authorities.
Al Jazeera's Laura Kyle reports on a case that rights organisations say is all too common.
Hussein Shobokshi, a columnist for Asharq Al-Awsat, the pan-Arab daily, told Al Jazeera that this "kind of story triggers the talk and debate to improve labour laws in the country.
"It is an issue that has been discussed for quite some time now through the Sharia Council and Human Rights Commission.
"You will soon see the ministry of labour, the Shariah Council and the Human Rights Commission jointly activate important rules and regulations in order to prevent such incidents from occurring again and punishing people who are responsible for it.
"Nowadays you hear the cases being brought to justice, you hear the issues being put out in the media. This is a novelty; it had not been the case in the past."
August 27, 2010
A Sri Lankan woman working as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia says she has been severely abused for complaining about being overworked.
LT Ariyawathi's Saudi employers reportedly hammered 24 nails and needles into her hands, legs and forehead, which had to be removed later with surgery.
Sri Lanka's government says it will report the incident to Saudi authorities.
Al Jazeera's Laura Kyle reports on a case that rights organisations say is all too common.
Hussein Shobokshi, a columnist for Asharq Al-Awsat, the pan-Arab daily, told Al Jazeera that this "kind of story triggers the talk and debate to improve labour laws in the country.
"It is an issue that has been discussed for quite some time now through the Sharia Council and Human Rights Commission.
"You will soon see the ministry of labour, the Shariah Council and the Human Rights Commission jointly activate important rules and regulations in order to prevent such incidents from occurring again and punishing people who are responsible for it.
"Nowadays you hear the cases being brought to justice, you hear the issues being put out in the media. This is a novelty; it had not been the case in the past."
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Docs remove nails, needles from allegedly abused maid
MSNBC.com
June 27, 2010
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Doctors removed 13 nails and five needles from a Sri Lankan maid who says the couple she worked for in Saudi Arabia hammered them into her body.
L.G. Ariyawathi, who was hospitalized with severe pain after returning Saturday from Saudi Arabia, has said the family she worked for punished her by heating the nails and needles before sticking them into her.
X-rays showed that she had 24 nails and needles in her body, said Dr. Keerthi Satharasinghe of Kamburupitiya hospital, about 100 miles from the capital, Colombo.
The nails ranged in length from one to two inches while the needles were about one inch long. They were removed from her legs and forehead.
"The surgery is successful and she is recovering now," Satharasinghe said after the three-hour procedure.
Satharasinghe said Thursday that the woman's initial puncture wounds had healed over, but that Ariyawathi found it difficult to walk because she had two nails in her knee and two in her ankles.
Another needle was in her forehead, and the rest in her hands, he said Thursday.
After her surgery, the doctor said six needles in her hands could not be removed because the operation might damage her nerves and arteries, but that they would not be harmful to her.
'They did not allow me even to rest'
Since being hospitalized, Ariyawathi, 49, has described the alleged abuse carried out by her former employers.
"They did not allow me even to rest. The woman at the house had heated the nails and then the man inserted them into my body," Ariyawathi was quoted as saying by the Lakbima newspaper.
She told the newspaper that she went to Saudi Arabia in March but was paid only two months' salary, with her employer withholding the rest to buy an air ticket to send her home.
Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, deputy minister of economic development, said in a statement on a government website Thursday that the 24 nails were "inside the body due to torture meted out by her Saudi employer."
Abeywardena said the government would "report about this matter to the Saudi Government and provide her adequate compensation."
Sri Lanka's Foreign Employment Bureau said Ariyawathi had been too afraid to complain about the abuse to Saudi authorities, fearing that her employers might not let her return home.
The bureau is a government agency that oversees the welfare of expatriate workers.
Kingsley Ranawaka, chairman of bureau, told the BBC that the government has " launched a strong protest with the Saudi government through the external affairs minister, but there has been no response yet."
'They have to take action'
Nimal Ranawaka, labor counselor at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh, said the embassy had requested a meeting with Saudi officials.
"We informed Saudi authorities. They have to take action against the employer," Ranawaka said.
Saudi officials did not respond to requests for comment.
This "kind of story triggers the talk and debate to improve labor laws in the country," Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper columnist Hussein Shobokshi told Al Jazeera. He added that the issue has been a topic of discussion for "quite some time now."
"You will soon see the ministry of labor, the Shariah Council and the Human Rights Commission jointly activate important rules and regulations in order to prevent such incidents from occurring again and punishing people who are responsible for it," the Al Jazeera report quoted Shobokshi as saying.
About 1.5 million Sri Lankans work abroad, many as maids or drivers, to earn more than they can in their own impoverished country. Nearly 400,000 work in Saudi Arabia alone.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38879983/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/
June 27, 2010
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Doctors removed 13 nails and five needles from a Sri Lankan maid who says the couple she worked for in Saudi Arabia hammered them into her body.
L.G. Ariyawathi, who was hospitalized with severe pain after returning Saturday from Saudi Arabia, has said the family she worked for punished her by heating the nails and needles before sticking them into her.
X-rays showed that she had 24 nails and needles in her body, said Dr. Keerthi Satharasinghe of Kamburupitiya hospital, about 100 miles from the capital, Colombo.
The nails ranged in length from one to two inches while the needles were about one inch long. They were removed from her legs and forehead.
"The surgery is successful and she is recovering now," Satharasinghe said after the three-hour procedure.
Satharasinghe said Thursday that the woman's initial puncture wounds had healed over, but that Ariyawathi found it difficult to walk because she had two nails in her knee and two in her ankles.
Another needle was in her forehead, and the rest in her hands, he said Thursday.
After her surgery, the doctor said six needles in her hands could not be removed because the operation might damage her nerves and arteries, but that they would not be harmful to her.
'They did not allow me even to rest'
Since being hospitalized, Ariyawathi, 49, has described the alleged abuse carried out by her former employers.
"They did not allow me even to rest. The woman at the house had heated the nails and then the man inserted them into my body," Ariyawathi was quoted as saying by the Lakbima newspaper.
She told the newspaper that she went to Saudi Arabia in March but was paid only two months' salary, with her employer withholding the rest to buy an air ticket to send her home.
Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, deputy minister of economic development, said in a statement on a government website Thursday that the 24 nails were "inside the body due to torture meted out by her Saudi employer."
Abeywardena said the government would "report about this matter to the Saudi Government and provide her adequate compensation."
Sri Lanka's Foreign Employment Bureau said Ariyawathi had been too afraid to complain about the abuse to Saudi authorities, fearing that her employers might not let her return home.
The bureau is a government agency that oversees the welfare of expatriate workers.
Kingsley Ranawaka, chairman of bureau, told the BBC that the government has " launched a strong protest with the Saudi government through the external affairs minister, but there has been no response yet."
'They have to take action'
Nimal Ranawaka, labor counselor at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh, said the embassy had requested a meeting with Saudi officials.
"We informed Saudi authorities. They have to take action against the employer," Ranawaka said.
Saudi officials did not respond to requests for comment.
This "kind of story triggers the talk and debate to improve labor laws in the country," Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper columnist Hussein Shobokshi told Al Jazeera. He added that the issue has been a topic of discussion for "quite some time now."
"You will soon see the ministry of labor, the Shariah Council and the Human Rights Commission jointly activate important rules and regulations in order to prevent such incidents from occurring again and punishing people who are responsible for it," the Al Jazeera report quoted Shobokshi as saying.
About 1.5 million Sri Lankans work abroad, many as maids or drivers, to earn more than they can in their own impoverished country. Nearly 400,000 work in Saudi Arabia alone.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38879983/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/
Monday, June 7, 2010
Court issues new arrest warrant vs Tanenglian, family (The Philippine Star)
A Quezon City judge has issued a new warrant of arrest and hold departure order against Mariano Tanenglian and his family due to criminal charges filed against them by a former maid.
Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 102 Judge Ma. Lourdes Giron issued a seven-page order after finding probable cause for violation of the Anti-Child Abuse Law (RA 7610) in five cases pending against Mariano, his wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximilian.
Giron set bail at P80,000 for each count of the charges against the Tanenglians by their former housemaid, Mary Jane Sollano.
Giron, however, cleared the Tanenglians of charges for alleged violation of the Anti-Trafficking of Persons and for kidnapping and serious illegal detention, both unbailable offenses.
The judge said the complainant was not forced to render service to the accused since the complainant was first recruited by an employment agency and later deployed to the Tanenglian household.
Giron also said there was no illegal detention because it was necessary for the maid to stay at the house of the accused.
Quezon City RTC Branch 94 Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria also issued a warrant of arrest and directed the issuance of an HDO against the Tanenglians in connection with similar charges filed earlier by Aljane Bacanto, another former maid of the Tanenglians.
The Tanenglians also have pending cases before Branch 94 for nine counts of violating RA 7610, Republic Act 9208 (Anti-Trafficking of Persons Act), kidnapping, and serious illegal detention.
Members of the women’s group Gabriela attended the hearing in a show of support. Lana Linagan, Gabriela secretary general, said they hope the arrest warrants are served to show that justice does not discriminate between the poor and the rich.
The parents of the two maids, who were present at the hearing, said they would pursue the separate cases of their children and would not accept any settlement if any was offered.
Lawyers of both parties declined to comment citing the confidential nature of Family Court proceedings. Both Branch 102 and 94 are Family Courts.
Source:
Jerry Botial, The Philippine Star
June 05, 2010
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=581383&publicationSubCategoryId=65
Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 102 Judge Ma. Lourdes Giron issued a seven-page order after finding probable cause for violation of the Anti-Child Abuse Law (RA 7610) in five cases pending against Mariano, his wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximilian.
Giron set bail at P80,000 for each count of the charges against the Tanenglians by their former housemaid, Mary Jane Sollano.
Giron, however, cleared the Tanenglians of charges for alleged violation of the Anti-Trafficking of Persons and for kidnapping and serious illegal detention, both unbailable offenses.
The judge said the complainant was not forced to render service to the accused since the complainant was first recruited by an employment agency and later deployed to the Tanenglian household.
Giron also said there was no illegal detention because it was necessary for the maid to stay at the house of the accused.
Quezon City RTC Branch 94 Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria also issued a warrant of arrest and directed the issuance of an HDO against the Tanenglians in connection with similar charges filed earlier by Aljane Bacanto, another former maid of the Tanenglians.
The Tanenglians also have pending cases before Branch 94 for nine counts of violating RA 7610, Republic Act 9208 (Anti-Trafficking of Persons Act), kidnapping, and serious illegal detention.
Members of the women’s group Gabriela attended the hearing in a show of support. Lana Linagan, Gabriela secretary general, said they hope the arrest warrants are served to show that justice does not discriminate between the poor and the rich.
The parents of the two maids, who were present at the hearing, said they would pursue the separate cases of their children and would not accept any settlement if any was offered.
Lawyers of both parties declined to comment citing the confidential nature of Family Court proceedings. Both Branch 102 and 94 are Family Courts.
Source:
Jerry Botial, The Philippine Star
June 05, 2010
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=581383&publicationSubCategoryId=65
Taipan’s brother gets another arrest warrant (Manila Standard Today)
Mariano Tanenglian—-taipan Lucio Tan’s brother—-again faces arrest over criminal charges filed by another former maid.
In an order dated May 18, 2010, Branch 102 Judge Ma. Lourdes Giron of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court also directed the issuance of a hold departure order on him, wife Aleta along with children Fayette and Maximilian for violation on five counts of the Anti-Child Abuse law.
“Allegations in the affidavit of the private complainant would reveal that there is more of an abuse or maltreatment committed by the accused,” the court ruled.
A bail of P80,000 was set for each of the charges filed against the Tanenglians by former maid Mary Jane Sollano for maltreatment.
But Giron has cleared them of violating the Anti-Trafficking of Persons law, and for kidnapping and serious illegal detention which are unbailable.
She found no showing of involuntary servitude because Sillano was recruited by an employment agency which placed her in the Tanenglian household.
Last May 4, QC RTC Branch 94 Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria issued a warrant of arrest and hold order against the accused on similar charges filed by former maid Aljane Bacanto.
A women’s advocacy group led by Grabriela secretary general Lana Linagan attended Friday’s hearing on the accused’s motion to quash.
“We hope that the warrants of arrest would be eventually served to show that justice does not discriminate between the poor and the rich,” she said, urging lawmakers to pass a measure affording better protection for household service providers.
Also at the hearing were the maids’ parents who vowed to pursue the separate cases of their children and reject any settlement, if offered.
Lawyers of both parties, refused to make any comment, citing the confidentiality of Family Court proceedings.
Complainant Bacanto was represented by counsel Al Parreno with lawyer Jose Flaminiano for the Tanenglians.
In her complaint filed before the Department of Justice, Bacanto said from the time she was hired in May 2006, the accused restricted her to the residence. She was also not given enough food and her salary remained unpaid.
Source:
Roy Pelovello, Manila Standard Today
June 5 - 6, 2010
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideMetro.htm?f=2010/june/5/metro2.isx&d=2010/june/5
In an order dated May 18, 2010, Branch 102 Judge Ma. Lourdes Giron of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court also directed the issuance of a hold departure order on him, wife Aleta along with children Fayette and Maximilian for violation on five counts of the Anti-Child Abuse law.
“Allegations in the affidavit of the private complainant would reveal that there is more of an abuse or maltreatment committed by the accused,” the court ruled.
A bail of P80,000 was set for each of the charges filed against the Tanenglians by former maid Mary Jane Sollano for maltreatment.
But Giron has cleared them of violating the Anti-Trafficking of Persons law, and for kidnapping and serious illegal detention which are unbailable.
She found no showing of involuntary servitude because Sillano was recruited by an employment agency which placed her in the Tanenglian household.
Last May 4, QC RTC Branch 94 Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria issued a warrant of arrest and hold order against the accused on similar charges filed by former maid Aljane Bacanto.
A women’s advocacy group led by Grabriela secretary general Lana Linagan attended Friday’s hearing on the accused’s motion to quash.
“We hope that the warrants of arrest would be eventually served to show that justice does not discriminate between the poor and the rich,” she said, urging lawmakers to pass a measure affording better protection for household service providers.
Also at the hearing were the maids’ parents who vowed to pursue the separate cases of their children and reject any settlement, if offered.
Lawyers of both parties, refused to make any comment, citing the confidentiality of Family Court proceedings.
Complainant Bacanto was represented by counsel Al Parreno with lawyer Jose Flaminiano for the Tanenglians.
In her complaint filed before the Department of Justice, Bacanto said from the time she was hired in May 2006, the accused restricted her to the residence. She was also not given enough food and her salary remained unpaid.
Source:
Roy Pelovello, Manila Standard Today
June 5 - 6, 2010
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideMetro.htm?f=2010/june/5/metro2.isx&d=2010/june/5
Bagong warrant, HDO inisyu vs utol ni Lucio Tan (Pilipino Star Ngayon)
Nagpalabas ng panibagong warrant of arrest at hold departure order (HDO) ang Quezon City court laban kay Mariano Tanenglian, kapatid ni Tycoon Lucio Tan, at sa pamilya nito kaugnay ng kasong kriminal na isinampa laban sa kanila ng dating kasambahay na si Mary Jane Sollano na nag-aakusang minaltrato siya ng mga naging amo.
Sa 7-pahinang desisyon na ipinalabas noong Mayo 18, 2010 ni QC Regional Trial Court (QC RTC) Branch 102 Judge Ma. Lourdes Giron ipinag-utos nito ang pagpapalabas ng warrant of arrest at HDO laban sa mga Tanenglian matapos mabatid na may batayan ang inihaing limang kaso ni Sollano kaugnay ng paglabag sa Anti-Child Abuse Law (R.A. 7610).
Kabilang sa mga akusadong bababaan ng mga warrant sina Mariano, ang asawa nitong si Aleta, at mga anak na sina Favette at Maximilian.
“In sum, the allegations in the affidavit of the private complainant would reveal that there is more of an abuse or maltreatment committed by the accused against the former,” pahayag ni Judge Giron. Nagtakda ng P80,000 piyansa ang korte para sa bawat kasong naihain laban sa mga akusado.
Sa kabilang dako, ipinawalang-sala naman ni Judge Giron ang mga Tanenglian sa paglabag sa Anti-Trafficking of Persons, kidnapping at serious illegal detention—na pare-parehong hindi napipiyansahang kaso.
Ayon sa hukom hindi umano pinuwersa ng pamilya ang nagrereklamo na mamasukan sa kanila sapagkat nagmula ito sa isang employment agency bago maitalaga sa bahay ng mga akusado.
Wala rin umanong iligal na pagkulong na naganap dahil importante sa isang kasambahay na manatili sa bahay ng kanyang amo.
Nauna na si QC RTC Branch 94 Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria na nag-isyu ng warrant of arrest at nag-atas na maglabas ng HDO laban sa mga Tanenglian na kaugnay naman sa kasong inihain ng isa ring dating kasambahay na si Aljane Bacanto.
Source:
Angie dela Cruz, Pilipino Star Ngayon
June 05, 2010
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=581326&publicationSubCategoryId=93
Sa 7-pahinang desisyon na ipinalabas noong Mayo 18, 2010 ni QC Regional Trial Court (QC RTC) Branch 102 Judge Ma. Lourdes Giron ipinag-utos nito ang pagpapalabas ng warrant of arrest at HDO laban sa mga Tanenglian matapos mabatid na may batayan ang inihaing limang kaso ni Sollano kaugnay ng paglabag sa Anti-Child Abuse Law (R.A. 7610).
Kabilang sa mga akusadong bababaan ng mga warrant sina Mariano, ang asawa nitong si Aleta, at mga anak na sina Favette at Maximilian.
“In sum, the allegations in the affidavit of the private complainant would reveal that there is more of an abuse or maltreatment committed by the accused against the former,” pahayag ni Judge Giron. Nagtakda ng P80,000 piyansa ang korte para sa bawat kasong naihain laban sa mga akusado.
Sa kabilang dako, ipinawalang-sala naman ni Judge Giron ang mga Tanenglian sa paglabag sa Anti-Trafficking of Persons, kidnapping at serious illegal detention—na pare-parehong hindi napipiyansahang kaso.
Ayon sa hukom hindi umano pinuwersa ng pamilya ang nagrereklamo na mamasukan sa kanila sapagkat nagmula ito sa isang employment agency bago maitalaga sa bahay ng mga akusado.
Wala rin umanong iligal na pagkulong na naganap dahil importante sa isang kasambahay na manatili sa bahay ng kanyang amo.
Nauna na si QC RTC Branch 94 Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria na nag-isyu ng warrant of arrest at nag-atas na maglabas ng HDO laban sa mga Tanenglian na kaugnay naman sa kasong inihain ng isa ring dating kasambahay na si Aljane Bacanto.
Source:
Angie dela Cruz, Pilipino Star Ngayon
June 05, 2010
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=581326&publicationSubCategoryId=93
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Arrest warrant, HDO for tycoon’s brother (People's Journal)
A QUEZON City court ordered the issuance of another warrant of arrest and hold departure order for the brother of tycoon Lucio Tan and his family in connection with the charges filed against them by their former housemaid.
Judge Ma. Lourdes Giron ordered the arrest of Mariano Tanenglian, his wife Aleta and their two children after finding probable cause to indict them for violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Anti-Child Abuse Law in five sets of cases pending against the accused.
“In sum, the allegations in the affidavit of the private complainant would reveal that there is more of an abuse or maltreatment committed by the accused against the former,” the judge said.
The case against the Tanenglians was filed by their ex-maid Mary Jane Sollano.
The court set a bail of P80,000 for the accused for each of the five charges filed against them.
However, Giron cleared the accused of the charges of violation of the Anti-Trafficking of Persons and for kidnapping and serious illegal detention, both non-bailable offenses.
The judge said there was no involuntary servitude committed by the accused since the complainant was first recruited by an employment agency and later deployed to the Tanenglian household.
The court added there was no illegal detention because it was necessary for the maid to stay at the house of the accused.
Last May 4, Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria issued an arrest warrant against the Tanenglians in connection with similar charges filed by Aljane Bacanto, another former maid of the accused.
In yesterday’s hearing, the accused filed a motion to quash the warrant of arrest and HDO issued against them.
Source:
Melnie Ragasa-Jimena, People's Journal
June 4, 2010
http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/metro/11015-arrest-warrant-hdo-for-tycoons-brother.html
Judge Ma. Lourdes Giron ordered the arrest of Mariano Tanenglian, his wife Aleta and their two children after finding probable cause to indict them for violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Anti-Child Abuse Law in five sets of cases pending against the accused.
“In sum, the allegations in the affidavit of the private complainant would reveal that there is more of an abuse or maltreatment committed by the accused against the former,” the judge said.
The case against the Tanenglians was filed by their ex-maid Mary Jane Sollano.
The court set a bail of P80,000 for the accused for each of the five charges filed against them.
However, Giron cleared the accused of the charges of violation of the Anti-Trafficking of Persons and for kidnapping and serious illegal detention, both non-bailable offenses.
The judge said there was no involuntary servitude committed by the accused since the complainant was first recruited by an employment agency and later deployed to the Tanenglian household.
The court added there was no illegal detention because it was necessary for the maid to stay at the house of the accused.
Last May 4, Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria issued an arrest warrant against the Tanenglians in connection with similar charges filed by Aljane Bacanto, another former maid of the accused.
In yesterday’s hearing, the accused filed a motion to quash the warrant of arrest and HDO issued against them.
Source:
Melnie Ragasa-Jimena, People's Journal
June 4, 2010
http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/metro/11015-arrest-warrant-hdo-for-tycoons-brother.html
Friday, June 4, 2010
New warrants, hold orders for tycoon's brod over child abuse raps (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
A Quezon City Judge has issued new hold departure orders and warrants for the arrest of Mariano Tanenglian, brother of businessman Lucio Tan, and his family in connection with the criminal case filed against them by a former maid.
Judge Lourdes Giron of Regional Trial Court Branch 102 ordered the arrest of Tanenglian, his wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximilian after finding probable cause that they violated the Anti-Child Abuse Law.
The court however cleared the accused of other charges for violation of the Anti-Trafficking of Persons, for kidnapping and for serious illegal detention.
“In sum, the allegations in the affidavit of the private complainant would reveal that there is more of an abuse or maltreatment committed by the accused against the former,” the court said.
The case before Giron was filed by their former househelp, Mary Jane Sollano, who alleged that her employers maltreated her in the five years that she worked for them, starting when she was still 13 years old.
The court set a bail of P80,000 for the accused for each of the eight counts of child abuse against them.
In clearing the Tanenglians of the other charges, Giron said there was no involuntary servitude committed by the accused as the complainant was recruited by an employment agency and later deployed to the Tanenglians.
The court also said there was no illegal detention because it was necessary for the maid to stay at the house of the accused.
The Tanenglians are also facing another case filed by another former housemaid, Aljane Bacanto, before Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria of RTC Branch 94.
Charges pending before Branch 94 are for nine counts of violation of the Anti-Child Abuse Law, violation of Republic Act 9208 or Anti-Trafficking of Persons, kidnapping, and serious illegal detention.
The Tanenglians have filed a motion to quash the warrants of arrest and hold departure orders before Branch 94.
Judge Lourdes Giron of Regional Trial Court Branch 102 ordered the arrest of Tanenglian, his wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximilian after finding probable cause that they violated the Anti-Child Abuse Law.
The court however cleared the accused of other charges for violation of the Anti-Trafficking of Persons, for kidnapping and for serious illegal detention.
“In sum, the allegations in the affidavit of the private complainant would reveal that there is more of an abuse or maltreatment committed by the accused against the former,” the court said.
The case before Giron was filed by their former househelp, Mary Jane Sollano, who alleged that her employers maltreated her in the five years that she worked for them, starting when she was still 13 years old.
The court set a bail of P80,000 for the accused for each of the eight counts of child abuse against them.
In clearing the Tanenglians of the other charges, Giron said there was no involuntary servitude committed by the accused as the complainant was recruited by an employment agency and later deployed to the Tanenglians.
The court also said there was no illegal detention because it was necessary for the maid to stay at the house of the accused.
The Tanenglians are also facing another case filed by another former housemaid, Aljane Bacanto, before Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria of RTC Branch 94.
Charges pending before Branch 94 are for nine counts of violation of the Anti-Child Abuse Law, violation of Republic Act 9208 or Anti-Trafficking of Persons, kidnapping, and serious illegal detention.
The Tanenglians have filed a motion to quash the warrants of arrest and hold departure orders before Branch 94.
Source:
Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted June 4, 2010
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20100604-273843/New-warrants-hold-orders-for-tycoons-brod-over-child-abuse-raps
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Court orders arrest of businessman, family for maid abuse (The Philippine Star)
A Quezon City court has ordered the arrest of businessman Mariano Tanenglian, his wife and two children over the alleged maltreatment of one of their underage housemaids.
In an order dated May 4, Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 94 also issued a hold departure against Tanenglian, estranged brother of businessman Lucio Tan; his wife Aleta and children Fayette and Maximilian.
The charges of illegal detention, trafficking and child abuse were based on a complaint filed by Aljane Bacanto, a former housemaid of the Tanenglians. Illegal detention and trafficking are non-bailable offenses. The court set bail at P80,000 for each of the accused for the child abuse case.
The case of another former helper, Mary Jane Sollano, who was also allegedly maltreated by the family, was raffled to the sala of Quezon City RTC Branch 102 Judge Lourdes Giron.
“After having personally examined the information, the resolution of the investigating prosecutor and all the supporting documents attached thereto, the court finds that there is probable cause to hold accused for trial for the offenses charged. Let warrants for their arrest (be) issued,” the court said in the order, a copy of which was obtained by The STAR.
“With regard to the motion for the issuance of a hold departure order, the court finds the same with merit and… the motion is granted,” the court said.
The STAR tried contacting Tanenglian’s lawyer, Raymund Quiroz, but calls made and text messages sent to his cellular phone were unanswered.
In past interviews, Quiroz had denied the charges against the Tanenglians. He had linked the case to Mariano Tanenglian’s move to testify against his estranged brother, tycoon Lucio Tan, in a government case.
Bacanto claimed she was 16 when she was first hired – with a monthly salary of P2,000 – in May 2006. She said she was maltreated while she was working for the Tanenglians. She said she was finally allowed to go home in January 2009, but allegedly without receiving her salary.
The Bureau of Immigration and Department of Foreign Affairs were both given a copy of the hold departure order against the accused. The court also denied the motion to suspend proceedings filed by the defense.
The prosecution had asked for the issuance of the hold departure order, claiming that the accused are “very influential and prominent people” and have access to both domestic and international transportation.
But the defense had opposed this, citing a pending motion to hold in abeyance the issuance of arrest warrants due to a pending motion for reconsideration filed with the Department of Justice.
However, the court ruled: “It must be emphasized that the function of the judge to issue a warrant of arrest upon determination of probable cause is exclusive… There is absolutely no ground for the court to suspend proceedings and defer issuance of warrants of arrest.”
Source:
Reinir Padua
The Philippine Star
Posted May 15, 2010 at http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=575309&publicationSubCategoryId=65
In an order dated May 4, Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 94 also issued a hold departure against Tanenglian, estranged brother of businessman Lucio Tan; his wife Aleta and children Fayette and Maximilian.
The charges of illegal detention, trafficking and child abuse were based on a complaint filed by Aljane Bacanto, a former housemaid of the Tanenglians. Illegal detention and trafficking are non-bailable offenses. The court set bail at P80,000 for each of the accused for the child abuse case.
The case of another former helper, Mary Jane Sollano, who was also allegedly maltreated by the family, was raffled to the sala of Quezon City RTC Branch 102 Judge Lourdes Giron.
“After having personally examined the information, the resolution of the investigating prosecutor and all the supporting documents attached thereto, the court finds that there is probable cause to hold accused for trial for the offenses charged. Let warrants for their arrest (be) issued,” the court said in the order, a copy of which was obtained by The STAR.
“With regard to the motion for the issuance of a hold departure order, the court finds the same with merit and… the motion is granted,” the court said.
The STAR tried contacting Tanenglian’s lawyer, Raymund Quiroz, but calls made and text messages sent to his cellular phone were unanswered.
In past interviews, Quiroz had denied the charges against the Tanenglians. He had linked the case to Mariano Tanenglian’s move to testify against his estranged brother, tycoon Lucio Tan, in a government case.
Bacanto claimed she was 16 when she was first hired – with a monthly salary of P2,000 – in May 2006. She said she was maltreated while she was working for the Tanenglians. She said she was finally allowed to go home in January 2009, but allegedly without receiving her salary.
The Bureau of Immigration and Department of Foreign Affairs were both given a copy of the hold departure order against the accused. The court also denied the motion to suspend proceedings filed by the defense.
The prosecution had asked for the issuance of the hold departure order, claiming that the accused are “very influential and prominent people” and have access to both domestic and international transportation.
But the defense had opposed this, citing a pending motion to hold in abeyance the issuance of arrest warrants due to a pending motion for reconsideration filed with the Department of Justice.
However, the court ruled: “It must be emphasized that the function of the judge to issue a warrant of arrest upon determination of probable cause is exclusive… There is absolutely no ground for the court to suspend proceedings and defer issuance of warrants of arrest.”
Source:
Reinir Padua
The Philippine Star
Posted May 15, 2010 at http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=575309&publicationSubCategoryId=65
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Warrants out for tycoon's kin (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
A Quezon City court has issued warrants of arrest for businessman Mariano Tanenglian and members of his family in connection with a case filed by their former househelp, who they allegedly maltreated.
Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria, of Regional Trial Court Branch 94, also issued a hold departure against Tanenglian, his wife Aleta and children Fayette and Maximilian.
The charges of illegal detention, trafficking and child abuse were based on a complaint by Aljane Bacanto, a former housemaid of the family.
Illegal detention and trafficking are nonbailable offenses. A bail of P80,000 for each of the accused was set by the court for child abuse cases.
The prosecution asked for the issuance of a hold departure order, saying the accused are “very influential and prominent people” who have access to both domestic and international transportation.
Defense lawyers opposed the move, citing a pending motion to hold in abeyance the issuance of arrest warrants because of a pending motion for reconsideration in the Department of Justice.
Source:
Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted May 15, 2010 at http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20100515-270047/Warrants-out-for-tycoons-kin
Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria, of Regional Trial Court Branch 94, also issued a hold departure against Tanenglian, his wife Aleta and children Fayette and Maximilian.
The charges of illegal detention, trafficking and child abuse were based on a complaint by Aljane Bacanto, a former housemaid of the family.
Illegal detention and trafficking are nonbailable offenses. A bail of P80,000 for each of the accused was set by the court for child abuse cases.
The prosecution asked for the issuance of a hold departure order, saying the accused are “very influential and prominent people” who have access to both domestic and international transportation.
Defense lawyers opposed the move, citing a pending motion to hold in abeyance the issuance of arrest warrants because of a pending motion for reconsideration in the Department of Justice.
Source:
Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted May 15, 2010 at http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20100515-270047/Warrants-out-for-tycoons-kin
Court orders arrest of tycoon’s brother (People's Journal)
A Quezon City court ordered the arrest of a brother of business tycoon Lucio Tan and his family over charges of illegal detention, trafficking and child abuse for allegedly maltreating their former housemaid.
Presiding Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria issued the warrants of arrest for Mariano Tanenglian, his wife Aleta and their children Fayette and Maximillian.
The family court also issued a hold departure order against the Tanenglians to prevent them from escaping prosecution.
The Department of Justice filed the cases against the respondents based on the complaint of Aljane Bacanto, who was a minor when she was hired as housemaid of the Tanenglians.
No bail was recommended for the accused on the illegal detention and trafficking charges while a bail of P80,000 was recommended for the child abuse case.
The judge granted the appeal of the prosecution for the issuance of the HDO, saying the accused are “very influential and prominent people” and have access to both domestic and international transportation.
The defense, however, said there is a pending motion to hold in abeyance the issuance of arrest warrants against the accused pending resolution of the motion for reconsideration they filed before the DoJ.
Soruce:
Cory Martinez
People's Journal
Posted May 15, 2010 at http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/metro/9528-court-orders-arrest-of-tycoons-brother-.html
Presiding Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria issued the warrants of arrest for Mariano Tanenglian, his wife Aleta and their children Fayette and Maximillian.
The family court also issued a hold departure order against the Tanenglians to prevent them from escaping prosecution.
The Department of Justice filed the cases against the respondents based on the complaint of Aljane Bacanto, who was a minor when she was hired as housemaid of the Tanenglians.
No bail was recommended for the accused on the illegal detention and trafficking charges while a bail of P80,000 was recommended for the child abuse case.
The judge granted the appeal of the prosecution for the issuance of the HDO, saying the accused are “very influential and prominent people” and have access to both domestic and international transportation.
The defense, however, said there is a pending motion to hold in abeyance the issuance of arrest warrants against the accused pending resolution of the motion for reconsideration they filed before the DoJ.
Soruce:
Cory Martinez
People's Journal
Posted May 15, 2010 at http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/metro/9528-court-orders-arrest-of-tycoons-brother-.html
Court issues hold order against taipan’s brother (Manila Standard Today)
A Quezon City court has issued arrest warrants against Mariano Tanenglian—brother of business tycoon Lucio Tan—and his family following the child-abuse and illegal-detention charges filed against them by a former maid.
The defense lawyers asked Branch 94 of the Regional Trial Court to defer issuing the warrants because they had a pending motion before the Justice Department, but the court denied them in its order dated May 4.
“It must be emphasized that the function of the judge to issue a warrant of arrest upon determination of probable case is exclusive,” Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria said.
“There is absolutely no ground for the court to suspend proceedings and defer [the] issuance of warrants of arrest.”
Mariano aside, the others for whom arrest warrants have been issued were his wife Aleta and children Fayette and Maximillian. The court also issued a hold order on them so they may not leave the country.
The four have been charged with nine counts of violating the Anti-Child Abuse Law, for which the court has set bail at P80,000 each, as well as child trafficking and illegal detention for which bail is not allowed.
The complainant, Aljane Bacanto, says she started working for the accused at their Quezon City residence in May 2006, but for three years she was not allowed to go out, was not paid, was not given enough food, and was hurt physically over the slightest error.
Another maid had filed a separate case of serious illegal detention and child abuse against the Tanenglians, and it was raffled off to Quezon City Branch 102 under Presiding Judge Lourdes Giron, another family court where the proceedings are confidential.
Source:
Roy Pelovello
Manila Standard Today
Posted May 15, 2010 at http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=2010/may/15/news4.isx&d=2010/may/15
The defense lawyers asked Branch 94 of the Regional Trial Court to defer issuing the warrants because they had a pending motion before the Justice Department, but the court denied them in its order dated May 4.
“It must be emphasized that the function of the judge to issue a warrant of arrest upon determination of probable case is exclusive,” Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria said.
“There is absolutely no ground for the court to suspend proceedings and defer [the] issuance of warrants of arrest.”
Mariano aside, the others for whom arrest warrants have been issued were his wife Aleta and children Fayette and Maximillian. The court also issued a hold order on them so they may not leave the country.
The four have been charged with nine counts of violating the Anti-Child Abuse Law, for which the court has set bail at P80,000 each, as well as child trafficking and illegal detention for which bail is not allowed.
The complainant, Aljane Bacanto, says she started working for the accused at their Quezon City residence in May 2006, but for three years she was not allowed to go out, was not paid, was not given enough food, and was hurt physically over the slightest error.
Another maid had filed a separate case of serious illegal detention and child abuse against the Tanenglians, and it was raffled off to Quezon City Branch 102 under Presiding Judge Lourdes Giron, another family court where the proceedings are confidential.
Source:
Roy Pelovello
Manila Standard Today
Posted May 15, 2010 at http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=2010/may/15/news4.isx&d=2010/may/15
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Philippine Labour Official Attacks Plan to Ban Filipina Maids
December18.net
February 16, 2010
ABU DHABI // The Philippine government should resist the call to protect maids from maltreatment by preventing them from seeking work in the Middle East, a Filipino labour official in Abu Dhabi said.
Instead, the government should provide domestic workers with information they can use at mandatory pre-departure briefings, said Nasser Munder, the labour attaché in Abu Dhabi.
“Many of them are attending the seminar just to comply with the requirements for overseas employment.
“What if we conduct an exam to check their level of preparedness?” he said.
He also proposed a “massive information drive” in the Philippines to ensure that Filipinos are sent abroad by licensed agencies accredited by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), an agency of the department of labour and employment, which promotes and monitors overseas employment.
Late last year, three politicians from the Philippines called on their government to stop sending household workers to the Middle East after witnessing first-hand the plight of domestic workers in some cities within the region.
Luz Ilagan, who represents the women’s group Gabriela in Congress, and congressmen Carlos Padilla and Rufus Rodriguez, investigated cases of illegal recruitment and visited Filipinas in shelters in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in November.
Their fact-finding trip also included visits to women who sought refuge in embassies and consulates in Amman, Jeddah and Riyadh. They interviewed at least 400 women who fled their employers’ homes after complaining of lack of food and sleep, maltreatment, overwork and not being paid.
In Dubai, they were confronted with three cases of sex trafficking. The women told them that they were supposed to be domestic helpers but ended up in a brothel.
“Filipinas are generally vulnerable to abuse and are willing to gamble when recruited to work overseas,” Mrs Ilagan told The National in November. “We have to educate women to be more careful.”
The three politicians are members of the committee on overseas workers affairs and the regional ban on domestic workers is one of the recommendations cited in their committee report which will be submitted to Congress. They also called for the Philippine government to ban employers cited for abuse and for the POEA to punish agencies involved in illegal recruitment.
But Mr Munder said employers were not to blame for about 60 to 70 per cent of maids’ complaints at the labour-office shelter in Abu Dhabi. At the moment, there are about 170 women in the shelter, after 23 were sent home recently, he said.
“Allegations of maltreatment such as physical abuse are isolated,” Mr Munder said.
“The majority are not prepared to work in the Middle East. They find it hard to deal with homesickness, the language barrier and culture shock.”
On maids’ allegations of lack of food or sleep and unpaid salaries, he said most of these could be resolved with the employers. “But the housemaids are usually adamant to go home,” he said. “Some quarrel with their co-workers and later decide to leave their employers.”
Ellene Sana, the executive director of the Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA) in Quezon City in the Philippines, said a ban did not guarantee that Filipina migrants would stay away from the Middle East.
“What will stop migrants from coming up with other job categories or contracts for jobs other than domestic work?” she said.
“Some of them already do this in order to circumvent the new policies for household service workers.
“The CMA shares the concern of our legislators to stop abuses against women migrant domestic workers,” she said. “But we do not agree that a deployment ban at this time will be able to address the deplorable living and working conditions of our women migrant workers in the Middle East and the GCC,” Ms Sana said.
There are about 30,000 documented housemaids in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, and 18,000 in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Ruwais, according to Philippine labour officials.
A Filipina housemaid in Dubai, Emma Tagboy, 29, said: “It is good that our government is doing something to protect us. But what will my compatriots do in the Philippines? There are not enough jobs there.”
Every month, she sends 15,000 pesos (Dh1,150) to her parents who take care of her 16-month-old baby boy in Pagadian City in southern Philippines.
Her Canadian employer in Dubai gives her time off every Thursday afternoon and allows her to return to their home on Saturday morning to resume her household duties.
“I’m so lucky,” she said. “They told me that I’m just human and that I need to strike a balance between work and life.”
Ms Tagboy was hired two years ago after her former employer’s family, also Canadian, moved to France. “I used to earn $200 (Dh735) which was the minimum monthly wage then,” he said. “When the [Philippine] government increased it to $400, they paid me that amount and I also got a salary increase every year.”
In December 2006, the Philippines government set a $400 monthly minimum wage for domestic workers worldwide.
The remittances of Filipino migrants have been a major contributor to the country’s economy.
In total, $15.8 billion was remitted by overseas Filipino workers worldwide in the first 11 months of 2009, up 5.1 per cent from the $15.02 billion recorded in the same period in 2008, according to the Philippine central bank.
Source: The National
Author: Ramona Ruiz
Publication date: 15.02.2010
http://www.december18.net/article/philippines-labour-official-attacks-plan-ban-filipina-maids
February 16, 2010
ABU DHABI // The Philippine government should resist the call to protect maids from maltreatment by preventing them from seeking work in the Middle East, a Filipino labour official in Abu Dhabi said.
Instead, the government should provide domestic workers with information they can use at mandatory pre-departure briefings, said Nasser Munder, the labour attaché in Abu Dhabi.
“Many of them are attending the seminar just to comply with the requirements for overseas employment.
“What if we conduct an exam to check their level of preparedness?” he said.
He also proposed a “massive information drive” in the Philippines to ensure that Filipinos are sent abroad by licensed agencies accredited by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), an agency of the department of labour and employment, which promotes and monitors overseas employment.
Late last year, three politicians from the Philippines called on their government to stop sending household workers to the Middle East after witnessing first-hand the plight of domestic workers in some cities within the region.
Luz Ilagan, who represents the women’s group Gabriela in Congress, and congressmen Carlos Padilla and Rufus Rodriguez, investigated cases of illegal recruitment and visited Filipinas in shelters in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in November.
Their fact-finding trip also included visits to women who sought refuge in embassies and consulates in Amman, Jeddah and Riyadh. They interviewed at least 400 women who fled their employers’ homes after complaining of lack of food and sleep, maltreatment, overwork and not being paid.
In Dubai, they were confronted with three cases of sex trafficking. The women told them that they were supposed to be domestic helpers but ended up in a brothel.
“Filipinas are generally vulnerable to abuse and are willing to gamble when recruited to work overseas,” Mrs Ilagan told The National in November. “We have to educate women to be more careful.”
The three politicians are members of the committee on overseas workers affairs and the regional ban on domestic workers is one of the recommendations cited in their committee report which will be submitted to Congress. They also called for the Philippine government to ban employers cited for abuse and for the POEA to punish agencies involved in illegal recruitment.
But Mr Munder said employers were not to blame for about 60 to 70 per cent of maids’ complaints at the labour-office shelter in Abu Dhabi. At the moment, there are about 170 women in the shelter, after 23 were sent home recently, he said.
“Allegations of maltreatment such as physical abuse are isolated,” Mr Munder said.
“The majority are not prepared to work in the Middle East. They find it hard to deal with homesickness, the language barrier and culture shock.”
On maids’ allegations of lack of food or sleep and unpaid salaries, he said most of these could be resolved with the employers. “But the housemaids are usually adamant to go home,” he said. “Some quarrel with their co-workers and later decide to leave their employers.”
Ellene Sana, the executive director of the Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA) in Quezon City in the Philippines, said a ban did not guarantee that Filipina migrants would stay away from the Middle East.
“What will stop migrants from coming up with other job categories or contracts for jobs other than domestic work?” she said.
“Some of them already do this in order to circumvent the new policies for household service workers.
“The CMA shares the concern of our legislators to stop abuses against women migrant domestic workers,” she said. “But we do not agree that a deployment ban at this time will be able to address the deplorable living and working conditions of our women migrant workers in the Middle East and the GCC,” Ms Sana said.
There are about 30,000 documented housemaids in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, and 18,000 in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Ruwais, according to Philippine labour officials.
A Filipina housemaid in Dubai, Emma Tagboy, 29, said: “It is good that our government is doing something to protect us. But what will my compatriots do in the Philippines? There are not enough jobs there.”
Every month, she sends 15,000 pesos (Dh1,150) to her parents who take care of her 16-month-old baby boy in Pagadian City in southern Philippines.
Her Canadian employer in Dubai gives her time off every Thursday afternoon and allows her to return to their home on Saturday morning to resume her household duties.
“I’m so lucky,” she said. “They told me that I’m just human and that I need to strike a balance between work and life.”
Ms Tagboy was hired two years ago after her former employer’s family, also Canadian, moved to France. “I used to earn $200 (Dh735) which was the minimum monthly wage then,” he said. “When the [Philippine] government increased it to $400, they paid me that amount and I also got a salary increase every year.”
In December 2006, the Philippines government set a $400 monthly minimum wage for domestic workers worldwide.
The remittances of Filipino migrants have been a major contributor to the country’s economy.
In total, $15.8 billion was remitted by overseas Filipino workers worldwide in the first 11 months of 2009, up 5.1 per cent from the $15.02 billion recorded in the same period in 2008, according to the Philippine central bank.
Source: The National
Author: Ramona Ruiz
Publication date: 15.02.2010
http://www.december18.net/article/philippines-labour-official-attacks-plan-ban-filipina-maids
Sunday, February 7, 2010
More child abuse raps vs Tanenglians raffled off
MANILA, Philippines – The Quezon City regional trial court (RTC) has raffled off the seven counts of child abuse against businessman Mariano Tanenglian and his family in connection with the alleged maltreatment of one of their underage housemaids.
The case, which went to Quezon City RTC Branch 94 Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria, stemmed from a complaint filed by Aljane Bacanto, a former housemaid of the Tanenglians.
Bacanto alleged that Tanenglian; his wife, Aleta; and children Fayette and Maximillian abused her.
The Tanenglians have filed a motion to suspend the proceedings, according to the court calendar of cases.
Bacanto’s case is second to be filed against the Tanenglians after the case of another former helper, Mary Jane Sollano, was assigned to Branch 102 Judge Lourdes Giron.
Bacanto claimed she was 16 when she was first hired – with a monthly salary of P2,000 – in May 2006. She said she was allegedly maltreated by the family and was finally allowed to go home in January 2009 but without a salary.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) Task Force on Women and Children Protection earlier found probable cause against the Tanenglians and filed the child abuse case in court.
The DOJ recommended P80,000 bail for each count of child abuse as well as the filing of charges serious illegal detention and trafficking, which are non-bailable offenses.
Tanenglian’s lawyer, Raymund Quiroz, said they have asked the court to hold the issuance of the warrant of arrest on grounds that their motion for reconsideration is pending with the DOJ.
With the pending motion, the case should be in the preliminary investigation stage, not raffled off to a court, he added.
Quiroz said they pointed out in the motion for reconsideration the “inconsistencies” in the testimonies of the two housemaids. These inconsistent statements are the sole basis of the case against his clients, he added.
Source:
Reinir Padua
The Philippine Star
February 06, 2010
Retrieved from
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=547067
The case, which went to Quezon City RTC Branch 94 Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria, stemmed from a complaint filed by Aljane Bacanto, a former housemaid of the Tanenglians.
Bacanto alleged that Tanenglian; his wife, Aleta; and children Fayette and Maximillian abused her.
The Tanenglians have filed a motion to suspend the proceedings, according to the court calendar of cases.
Bacanto’s case is second to be filed against the Tanenglians after the case of another former helper, Mary Jane Sollano, was assigned to Branch 102 Judge Lourdes Giron.
Bacanto claimed she was 16 when she was first hired – with a monthly salary of P2,000 – in May 2006. She said she was allegedly maltreated by the family and was finally allowed to go home in January 2009 but without a salary.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) Task Force on Women and Children Protection earlier found probable cause against the Tanenglians and filed the child abuse case in court.
The DOJ recommended P80,000 bail for each count of child abuse as well as the filing of charges serious illegal detention and trafficking, which are non-bailable offenses.
Tanenglian’s lawyer, Raymund Quiroz, said they have asked the court to hold the issuance of the warrant of arrest on grounds that their motion for reconsideration is pending with the DOJ.
With the pending motion, the case should be in the preliminary investigation stage, not raffled off to a court, he added.
Quiroz said they pointed out in the motion for reconsideration the “inconsistencies” in the testimonies of the two housemaids. These inconsistent statements are the sole basis of the case against his clients, he added.
Source:
Reinir Padua
The Philippine Star
February 06, 2010
Retrieved from
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=547067
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Tycoon’s brother, kin face more child abuse charges
MANILA, Philippines--Charges of child abuse were formally filed anew against the family of the brother of tycoon Lucio Tan in a Quezon City court for allegedly maltreating a 16-year-old housemaid.
Facing criminal charges of child abuse or violation of Republic Act 7610 is businessman Mariano Tanenglian, his wife Aleta and children Fayette and Maximillian.
The seven counts of child abuse were formally filed last week in the Quezon City Regional Trial Court and were raffled off to Branch 94, presided by Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria.
Tria’s sala is a family court, thus parties other than the complainant and the accused are not allowed to inquire about the case.
A check with the court calendar of cases yesterday, however, revealed that the Tanenglians filed a motion to suspend the proceedings.
The seven counts, accompanied by a motion for consolidation, were based on a complaint by Aljane Bacanto, a former housemaid of the Tanenglians.
This is the second case to be filed against the Tanenglians; a the first case, based on a complaint by Mary Jane Sollano, has been assigned to Branch 102 under Judge Lourdes Giron.
Bacanto alleged that she was 16 years old when she was hired in 2006 with a monthly salary of P2,000.
The housemaid claimed that she was maltreated and made to work long hours. She added that she was sometimes deprived of food and was forced to eat dog food to survive.
In January 2009, Bacanto claimed she was allowed to go home after working for the family for two years and seven months, allegedly without a salary.
The Department of Justice’s Task Force on Women and Children Protection, in a resolution, found probable cause against the Tanenglians and filed the case in court.
In its resolution, the DOJ said there was probable cause to indict the Tanenglians based on Bacanto’s claims.
The family claimed Bacanto’s allegations were doubtful as these were general statements and not definite as to when the acts were supposedly committed.
Source:
Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:41:00 02/05/2010
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20100205-251541/Tycoons-brother-kin-face-more-child-abuse-charges
Facing criminal charges of child abuse or violation of Republic Act 7610 is businessman Mariano Tanenglian, his wife Aleta and children Fayette and Maximillian.
The seven counts of child abuse were formally filed last week in the Quezon City Regional Trial Court and were raffled off to Branch 94, presided by Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria.
Tria’s sala is a family court, thus parties other than the complainant and the accused are not allowed to inquire about the case.
A check with the court calendar of cases yesterday, however, revealed that the Tanenglians filed a motion to suspend the proceedings.
The seven counts, accompanied by a motion for consolidation, were based on a complaint by Aljane Bacanto, a former housemaid of the Tanenglians.
This is the second case to be filed against the Tanenglians; a the first case, based on a complaint by Mary Jane Sollano, has been assigned to Branch 102 under Judge Lourdes Giron.
Bacanto alleged that she was 16 years old when she was hired in 2006 with a monthly salary of P2,000.
The housemaid claimed that she was maltreated and made to work long hours. She added that she was sometimes deprived of food and was forced to eat dog food to survive.
In January 2009, Bacanto claimed she was allowed to go home after working for the family for two years and seven months, allegedly without a salary.
The Department of Justice’s Task Force on Women and Children Protection, in a resolution, found probable cause against the Tanenglians and filed the case in court.
In its resolution, the DOJ said there was probable cause to indict the Tanenglians based on Bacanto’s claims.
The family claimed Bacanto’s allegations were doubtful as these were general statements and not definite as to when the acts were supposedly committed.
Source:
Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:41:00 02/05/2010
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20100205-251541/Tycoons-brother-kin-face-more-child-abuse-charges
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Hold order sought against Tanenglian
THE PROSECUTION has asked a Quezon City court to issue a hold order against the estranged brother of business tycoon Lucio Tan and his family in connection with the criminal charges filed against them.
Mariano Tanenglian, his wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximillian are facing charges of serious illegal detention and child abuse for allegedly hiring one of his housemaids when she was still a minor. They are also accused of mistreating her and keeping her prisoner in the house, which she was not allowed to leave even once.
The case was raffled off to Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 102 under Presiding Judge Lourdes Giron.
The proceedings at the family court are confidential, but a notce posted at the court indicated that the prosecution had asked that the accused not be allowed to leave the country.
The Tanenglians are represented by Jay Alberto Flaminiano, son of Jose Flaminiano. The elder Flaminiano was among the top lawyers who defended President Joseph Estrada during his impeachment trial at the Senate and in his plunder case before the Sandiganbayan.
Assistant City Prosecutor Pedro Tresvalles is leading the prosecution panel, assisted by private prosecutor Al Parreno, the counsel for the housemaid.
Source:
Roy Pelovello
Manila Standard Today
January 30-31, 2010
Retrieved from
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=2010/january/30/news8.isx&d=2010/january/30
Mariano Tanenglian, his wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximillian are facing charges of serious illegal detention and child abuse for allegedly hiring one of his housemaids when she was still a minor. They are also accused of mistreating her and keeping her prisoner in the house, which she was not allowed to leave even once.
The case was raffled off to Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 102 under Presiding Judge Lourdes Giron.
The proceedings at the family court are confidential, but a notce posted at the court indicated that the prosecution had asked that the accused not be allowed to leave the country.
The Tanenglians are represented by Jay Alberto Flaminiano, son of Jose Flaminiano. The elder Flaminiano was among the top lawyers who defended President Joseph Estrada during his impeachment trial at the Senate and in his plunder case before the Sandiganbayan.
Assistant City Prosecutor Pedro Tresvalles is leading the prosecution panel, assisted by private prosecutor Al Parreno, the counsel for the housemaid.
Source:
Roy Pelovello
Manila Standard Today
January 30-31, 2010
Retrieved from
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=2010/january/30/news8.isx&d=2010/january/30
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Court asked to bar brod of Lucio Tan from leaving country
MANILA, Philippines—Prosecutors have asked a Quezon City court to bar the estranged brother of tycoon Lucio Tan from leaving the country while he and his family is facing trial for allegedly maltreating an underage maid.
In a two-page pleading, assistant city prosecutor Pedro Tresvalles asked Judge Lourdes Giron to issue a hold departure order against businessman Mariano Tanenglian in relation to the charges filed against him.
Giron, the presiding judge of of Regional Trial Court Branch 102, is hearing the 10 criminal cases against Tanenglian, his wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximilian for child abuse and serious illegal detention.
The case, which was based on the complaint of Tanenglian’s former housemaid Mary Jane Sollano, was raffled off to Branch 102, a family court as Sollano was a minor when she was first hired.
Branch 102, as a family court, disallows parties other than the complainant and the accused from inquiring about the case.
Tresvalles, in his motion for the issuance of a hold departure order, asked the court to direct immigration authorities to prevent any of the Tanenglians involved in the case from leaving the country.
“It is imperative that a hold departure order be issued directing the commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration to prevent the accused from leaving the country during the pendency of the instant case,” the assistant city prosecutor said.
Tresvalles filed the motion on January 22 or after the ten criminal cases were filed to Giron’s court.
He added that the motion “is not intended to delay the proceedings or infringe upon the accused’s right to travel but for the aforestated reasons.”
The cases against Tanenglian et al were formally filed in court last week after the Department of Justice said there was probable cause to charge them.
The DOJ earlier approved the filing of charges against Tanenglian, particularly for eight counts of child abuse, trafficking of persons and kidnapping and serious illegal detention.
A DOJ task force on women based the case on Sollano’s complaint, as she used to work as a housemaid at the Tanenglian household on Biak-na-Bato St., Quezon City.
She accused her former employers of maltreatment, serious illegal detention, slavery and frustrated homicide.
The DOJ said the Tanenglians allegedly maltreated their housemaid and prevented her from leaving the house since she was employed by the family in 2004 at the age of 13 years old.
The Quezon City Police District, the Commission on Human Rights, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development rescued the 19-year-old housemaid from the Tanenglian household in August 2009.
Source:
Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 29, 2010
Retrieved from
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20100129-250152/Court_asked_to_bar_brod_of_Lucio_Tan_from_leaving_country
In a two-page pleading, assistant city prosecutor Pedro Tresvalles asked Judge Lourdes Giron to issue a hold departure order against businessman Mariano Tanenglian in relation to the charges filed against him.
Giron, the presiding judge of of Regional Trial Court Branch 102, is hearing the 10 criminal cases against Tanenglian, his wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximilian for child abuse and serious illegal detention.
The case, which was based on the complaint of Tanenglian’s former housemaid Mary Jane Sollano, was raffled off to Branch 102, a family court as Sollano was a minor when she was first hired.
Branch 102, as a family court, disallows parties other than the complainant and the accused from inquiring about the case.
Tresvalles, in his motion for the issuance of a hold departure order, asked the court to direct immigration authorities to prevent any of the Tanenglians involved in the case from leaving the country.
“It is imperative that a hold departure order be issued directing the commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration to prevent the accused from leaving the country during the pendency of the instant case,” the assistant city prosecutor said.
Tresvalles filed the motion on January 22 or after the ten criminal cases were filed to Giron’s court.
He added that the motion “is not intended to delay the proceedings or infringe upon the accused’s right to travel but for the aforestated reasons.”
The cases against Tanenglian et al were formally filed in court last week after the Department of Justice said there was probable cause to charge them.
The DOJ earlier approved the filing of charges against Tanenglian, particularly for eight counts of child abuse, trafficking of persons and kidnapping and serious illegal detention.
A DOJ task force on women based the case on Sollano’s complaint, as she used to work as a housemaid at the Tanenglian household on Biak-na-Bato St., Quezon City.
She accused her former employers of maltreatment, serious illegal detention, slavery and frustrated homicide.
The DOJ said the Tanenglians allegedly maltreated their housemaid and prevented her from leaving the house since she was employed by the family in 2004 at the age of 13 years old.
The Quezon City Police District, the Commission on Human Rights, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development rescued the 19-year-old housemaid from the Tanenglian household in August 2009.
Source:
Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 29, 2010
Retrieved from
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20100129-250152/Court_asked_to_bar_brod_of_Lucio_Tan_from_leaving_country
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Another case lodged vs Tanenglian
The Department of Justice approved the other day another criminal case against Mariano Tanenglian, brother of business tycoon Lucio Tan, and his wife and two children in connection with the complaint of another housemaid for alleged abuse and illegal detention.
In a 10-page resolution approved by chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuno, the DOJ said it has found probable cause in the complaint of 19-year-old Aljane Bacanto against Tanenglian, his wife Aleta and children Maximillian and Fayette and approved the filing in court of charges of kidnapping, serious illegal detention, violation of (R.A 9201) Anti-Trafficking in Persons Acts and nine counts of child abuse or violation of R.A 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Abuse Exploitation and Discrimination Act) against them.
Preliminary investigation of the department’s Task Force on Women and Children Protection gave weight to the testimony of complainant Bacanto in approving the child abuse charges against the Tanenglians.
The DOJ has found that Bacanto was only 16 years old when employed by the Tanenglians and then suffered “cruelty, physical abuse from the hands of respondents and had been subjected to conditions prejudicial to her normal development as a child” during her employment from May 2006 up to Jan. last year.
In her complaint filed at the DOJ on Sept. 8 last year, Bacanto recounted her ordeal at the residence of the Tanenglians in Barangay Siena in Quezon City. She said she was not allowed to go out- not even once- during her stay in the house of respondents. Bacanto alleged that she was not allowed to call anybody outside the house. She said she was only allowed to write letters to her family in Tacloban, but upon dictation of Fayette who told her never to tell her parents of her never to tell her parents of her situation. She said her former employers made her” a slave without salary and enough food”.
She revealed that she was only given food whenever her employers were satisfied with her job. She said the refrigerators in the house were padlocked and that there were many instances when she was not able to eat for three consecutive days.
Deprivation
This deprivation of food prompted the maids to try to steal food. But she said they were caught stealing several times and were harshly punished by their bosses. She said she was mauled several times by Aleta, Fayette and Maximillian. She said she was even forced to eat dog food just to survive.
Submitted with the complaint were affidavits of representatives of police, Commission on Human Rights and Department Social Welfare and Development and other persons present during the rescue of the housemaid. The DOJ said it has also found merit in the human trafficking charges, citing the existence of an important aspect of the crime slavery.
“(Bacanto’s) employment was with the intention to enslave and to extract force labor service from the complainant. These intentions are inferred from the acts of respondents when they, in fact, detained complainant from the time she was employed and subjected her to incredibly long hours of work for two years and seven months without salary and under constant conditions of cruelty, maltreatment and threat,” the resolution stated.
Kidnapping, serious illegal detention
The DOJ added that all elements of kidnapping and serious illegal detention especially illegal deprivation of liberty by private individual for over five days- are present in the case of Bacanto.
“Respondents who are private individuals illegally deprived complainant of her liberty by not allowing her to leave their premises from the time of her employment on May 2006 p to January 2009 coupled with threat that if she made an attempt to leave, something of great harm will happen to her. This detention, needless to state, is a deprivation of complainant’s liberty” it explained.
However, the DOJ junked he charges of frustrated homicide against the Tanenglians. The camp of Tanenglian has already downplayed the allegations of the housemaid as “part of a bigger picture.”
Tanenglian’s lawyer, Raymund Quiroz has questioned Bacanto’s testimony: “If the maid (Bacanto) was able to go home to her province last February (last year) then how can she claim that she was being detained? And how come this story is only surfacing now?”
“As we all know somebody is trying to stop our client from testifying at the Sandiganbayan,” he added, apparently referring to the case against Tan where Tanenglian is reported planning to testify for the prosecution.
Still, Quiroz said they would answer all the charges once they receive a copy of the complaint.
Source:
The Philippine Star (Page 18)
January 22, 2010
In a 10-page resolution approved by chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuno, the DOJ said it has found probable cause in the complaint of 19-year-old Aljane Bacanto against Tanenglian, his wife Aleta and children Maximillian and Fayette and approved the filing in court of charges of kidnapping, serious illegal detention, violation of (R.A 9201) Anti-Trafficking in Persons Acts and nine counts of child abuse or violation of R.A 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Abuse Exploitation and Discrimination Act) against them.
Preliminary investigation of the department’s Task Force on Women and Children Protection gave weight to the testimony of complainant Bacanto in approving the child abuse charges against the Tanenglians.
The DOJ has found that Bacanto was only 16 years old when employed by the Tanenglians and then suffered “cruelty, physical abuse from the hands of respondents and had been subjected to conditions prejudicial to her normal development as a child” during her employment from May 2006 up to Jan. last year.
In her complaint filed at the DOJ on Sept. 8 last year, Bacanto recounted her ordeal at the residence of the Tanenglians in Barangay Siena in Quezon City. She said she was not allowed to go out- not even once- during her stay in the house of respondents. Bacanto alleged that she was not allowed to call anybody outside the house. She said she was only allowed to write letters to her family in Tacloban, but upon dictation of Fayette who told her never to tell her parents of her never to tell her parents of her situation. She said her former employers made her” a slave without salary and enough food”.
She revealed that she was only given food whenever her employers were satisfied with her job. She said the refrigerators in the house were padlocked and that there were many instances when she was not able to eat for three consecutive days.
Deprivation
This deprivation of food prompted the maids to try to steal food. But she said they were caught stealing several times and were harshly punished by their bosses. She said she was mauled several times by Aleta, Fayette and Maximillian. She said she was even forced to eat dog food just to survive.
Submitted with the complaint were affidavits of representatives of police, Commission on Human Rights and Department Social Welfare and Development and other persons present during the rescue of the housemaid. The DOJ said it has also found merit in the human trafficking charges, citing the existence of an important aspect of the crime slavery.
“(Bacanto’s) employment was with the intention to enslave and to extract force labor service from the complainant. These intentions are inferred from the acts of respondents when they, in fact, detained complainant from the time she was employed and subjected her to incredibly long hours of work for two years and seven months without salary and under constant conditions of cruelty, maltreatment and threat,” the resolution stated.
Kidnapping, serious illegal detention
The DOJ added that all elements of kidnapping and serious illegal detention especially illegal deprivation of liberty by private individual for over five days- are present in the case of Bacanto.
“Respondents who are private individuals illegally deprived complainant of her liberty by not allowing her to leave their premises from the time of her employment on May 2006 p to January 2009 coupled with threat that if she made an attempt to leave, something of great harm will happen to her. This detention, needless to state, is a deprivation of complainant’s liberty” it explained.
However, the DOJ junked he charges of frustrated homicide against the Tanenglians. The camp of Tanenglian has already downplayed the allegations of the housemaid as “part of a bigger picture.”
Tanenglian’s lawyer, Raymund Quiroz has questioned Bacanto’s testimony: “If the maid (Bacanto) was able to go home to her province last February (last year) then how can she claim that she was being detained? And how come this story is only surfacing now?”
“As we all know somebody is trying to stop our client from testifying at the Sandiganbayan,” he added, apparently referring to the case against Tan where Tanenglian is reported planning to testify for the prosecution.
Still, Quiroz said they would answer all the charges once they receive a copy of the complaint.
Source:
The Philippine Star (Page 18)
January 22, 2010
Tan brother, family face charges in Quezon City court
Charges have been filed in a Quezon City court against the brother of tycoon Lucio Tan for allegedly maltreating one of the housemaids under his employ.
Mariano Tanenglian is facing serious illegal detention and child abuse charges for allegedly hiring one of his housemaids when she was still a minor.
Also included in the charges were his wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximillian.
The cases filed in the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, accompanied with a motion for consolidation, were raffled off to Regional Trial Court Branch 102 presided by Judge Lourdes Giron.
Branch 102, however, is a family court, thus the parties-other than the complainant and the accused are not allowed to inquire about the case, INQUIRER learned.
Another case against Tanenglian filed by justice department has yet to be filed as personnel of the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office said the criminal information had not yet been signed.
The Department of Justice earlier approved the filing of charges against Tanenglian, particularly for eight counts of persons and kidnapping and serious illegal detention.
A DOJ task force on women based the case on a complaint filed by Mary Jane Sollano, a housemaid formerly working at the Tanenglian household on Biak na Bato Street in Quezon City.
The housemaid had accused her former employers of maltreatment, serious illegal detention, slavery and frustrated homicide.
In a resolution last week, the DOJ found that the Tanenglians allegedly maltreated their housemaid and prevented her from leaving the house after she was employed by the family in 2004 at the age of 13.
The Tanenglians were charged in court this week with eight counts of violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act based on Sollano’s claim that she was physically maltreated and not allowed to communicate with her family.
The DOJ also charged the family with trafficking of persons and serious illegal detention of keeping Sollano in their home against her will, and for allegedly forcing her into working for her family.
The Quezon City Police District, Commission on Human Rights, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development rescued the housemaid from the Tanenglian household in August 2009.
Source:
Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
A20
January 23, 2010
Mariano Tanenglian is facing serious illegal detention and child abuse charges for allegedly hiring one of his housemaids when she was still a minor.
Also included in the charges were his wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximillian.
The cases filed in the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, accompanied with a motion for consolidation, were raffled off to Regional Trial Court Branch 102 presided by Judge Lourdes Giron.
Branch 102, however, is a family court, thus the parties-other than the complainant and the accused are not allowed to inquire about the case, INQUIRER learned.
Another case against Tanenglian filed by justice department has yet to be filed as personnel of the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office said the criminal information had not yet been signed.
The Department of Justice earlier approved the filing of charges against Tanenglian, particularly for eight counts of persons and kidnapping and serious illegal detention.
A DOJ task force on women based the case on a complaint filed by Mary Jane Sollano, a housemaid formerly working at the Tanenglian household on Biak na Bato Street in Quezon City.
The housemaid had accused her former employers of maltreatment, serious illegal detention, slavery and frustrated homicide.
In a resolution last week, the DOJ found that the Tanenglians allegedly maltreated their housemaid and prevented her from leaving the house after she was employed by the family in 2004 at the age of 13.
The Tanenglians were charged in court this week with eight counts of violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act based on Sollano’s claim that she was physically maltreated and not allowed to communicate with her family.
The DOJ also charged the family with trafficking of persons and serious illegal detention of keeping Sollano in their home against her will, and for allegedly forcing her into working for her family.
The Quezon City Police District, Commission on Human Rights, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development rescued the housemaid from the Tanenglian household in August 2009.
Source:
Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
A20
January 23, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Tycoon's brother, family face charges in Quezon City court
MANILA, Philippines--Charges have been filed in a Quezon City court against the brother of tycoon Lucio Tan for allegedly maltreating one of the housemaids under his employ.
Mariano Tanenglian is facing serious illegal detention and child abuse charges for allegedly hiring one of his housemaids when she was still a minor.
Also included in the charges were his wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximilian.
The cases filed in the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, accompanied with a motion for consolidation, were raffled off to Regional Trial Court Branch 102 presided by Judge Lourdes Giron.
Branch 102, however, is a family court, thus the parties—other than the complainant and the accused—
are not allowed to inquire about the case, Inquirer learned.
Another case against Tanenglian filed by justice department has yet to be filed as personnel of the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office said the criminal information had not yet been signed.
The Department of Justice earlier approved the filing of charges against Tanenglian, particularly for eight counts of child abuse, trafficking of persons and kidnapping and serious illegal detention.
A DOJ task force on women based the case on a complaint filed by Mary Jane Sollano, a housemaid formerly working at the Tanenglian household on Biak na Bato Street in Quezon City.
The housemaid had accused her former employers of maltreatment, serious illegal detention, slavery and frustrated homicide.
In a resolution last week, the DOJ found that the Tanenglians allegedly maltreated their housemaid and prevented her from leaving the house after she was employed by the family in 2004 at the age of 13.
The Tanenglians were charged in court this week with eight counts of violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act based on Sollano’s claim that she was physically maltreated and not allowed to communicate with her family.
The DOJ also charged the family with trafficking of persons and serious illegal detention for keeping Sollano in their home against her will, and for allegedly forcing her into working for the family.
The Quezon City Police District, Commission on Human Rights, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development rescued the housemaid from the Tanenglian household in August 2009.
Source
Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 22, 2010
Retrieved from
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20100122-248907/Tycoons-brother-family-face-charges-in-Quezon-City-court
Mariano Tanenglian is facing serious illegal detention and child abuse charges for allegedly hiring one of his housemaids when she was still a minor.
Also included in the charges were his wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximilian.
The cases filed in the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, accompanied with a motion for consolidation, were raffled off to Regional Trial Court Branch 102 presided by Judge Lourdes Giron.
Branch 102, however, is a family court, thus the parties—other than the complainant and the accused—
are not allowed to inquire about the case, Inquirer learned.
Another case against Tanenglian filed by justice department has yet to be filed as personnel of the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office said the criminal information had not yet been signed.
The Department of Justice earlier approved the filing of charges against Tanenglian, particularly for eight counts of child abuse, trafficking of persons and kidnapping and serious illegal detention.
A DOJ task force on women based the case on a complaint filed by Mary Jane Sollano, a housemaid formerly working at the Tanenglian household on Biak na Bato Street in Quezon City.
The housemaid had accused her former employers of maltreatment, serious illegal detention, slavery and frustrated homicide.
In a resolution last week, the DOJ found that the Tanenglians allegedly maltreated their housemaid and prevented her from leaving the house after she was employed by the family in 2004 at the age of 13.
The Tanenglians were charged in court this week with eight counts of violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act based on Sollano’s claim that she was physically maltreated and not allowed to communicate with her family.
The DOJ also charged the family with trafficking of persons and serious illegal detention for keeping Sollano in their home against her will, and for allegedly forcing her into working for the family.
The Quezon City Police District, Commission on Human Rights, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development rescued the housemaid from the Tanenglian household in August 2009.
Source
Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 22, 2010
Retrieved from
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20100122-248907/Tycoons-brother-family-face-charges-in-Quezon-City-court
Charges against Tanenglians continue to pile up
ANOTHER criminal case has been filed by the Department of Justice against businessman Mariano Tanenglian, his wife, and their two children based on the complaint of another former housemaid.
The DOJ Task Force on Women and Children found probable cause against Tanenglian, wife Aleta and children Fayette and Maximillian on the nine counts of child abuse, human trafficking, kidnapping, and serious illegal detention charges filed by Aljane Bacanto.
State prosecutors gave weight to the direct and positive testimony of Bacanto who testified that she was only 16 when employed by the Tanenglians at their residence in Quezon City. The DOJ panel found merit in the human trafficking charges, citing the existence of an important aspect of the crime: slavery.
“(Bacanto’s) employment was with the intention to enslave and to extract force labor/ service from the complainant. These intentions are inferred from the acts of respondents when they, in fact, detained complainant from the time she was employed and subjected her to incredibly long hours of work for two years and seven months without salary and under constant conditions of cruelty, maltreatment and treat,” the DOJ resolution said.
“Respondents who are private individuals illegally deprived complainant of her libery by not allowing her to leave their premises from the time of her employment in May 2006 up to January 2009 coupled with threat that she made an attempt to leave, something of great harm will happen to her. This detention, needless to state, is a deprivation of complainant’s liberty,” the panel said.
The DOJ, however, dismissed the charge of frustrated homicide against the Tanenglians.
Bacanto said that during her three-year stay at the Tanenglians, she suffered extreme cruelty and physical abuse and was subjected to conditions prejudicial to her normal development as a child. She said the Tanenglians barred her from going out of the house and calling anybody of the phone. She said her letters to her family in Tacloban were dictated by Fayette who forbade her to tell her parents of her situation.
On top of that, she never received any salary or was given, along with the other housemaids, enough food.
Bacanto said she was given food when her employers were satisfied with her work. She said the refrigerators in the house house were padlocked and there were many instances when she was nothing to east for three consecutive days. At one point, shje said she was forced to eat dog food to survive, She said hunger prompted her and the other maids to try o steal food but they caught several times and mauled by their employers.
She was rescued from the Tanenglian household in January 2009 by social workers and law enforces.
Last week, the DOJ filed similar criminal charges against the Tanenglians based on the complaint of another maid, Mary Jane Sollano, who was rescued by authorities seven months after Bacanto.
Bacanto’s testimony supported that of Sollano’s. Bacanto was the one who reported their ordeal to Sollano’s family after she left Tanenglian’s house, which led to the rescue of the latter.
The DOJ is investigating a similar complaint filed by a third housemaid, Gina Renacia.
Evangeline C. de Vera
Malaya, B2
January 21, 2010
DoJ okays more raps vs billionaire
THE Department of Justice yesterday approved the filing of more charges against a billionaire accused of maltreating a young housemaid.
Mariano Tanenglian, his wife Aleta, and children Maximilian and Fayette, all of Barangay Siena, Quezon City, were charged with nine counts of violation of the Anti Child Abuse Law and Anti-Trafficking of Persons, kidnapping and serious illegal detention before a QC court.
The charges stemmed from the complaint of Aljane Bacanto who claimed the family detained, abused amd maltreated her while working at their household for three years.
This was the seond time the Tanenglian family was charged by the DoJ before a Quezon City court.
Last Jan. 14, the DoJ filed similar charges against the Tanenglians based on the complaint of another housemaid, Mary Jane Sollano 19.
Hector Lawas
People’s Journal, Page 10
January 21, 2010
Mariano Tanenglian, his wife Aleta, and children Maximilian and Fayette, all of Barangay Siena, Quezon City, were charged with nine counts of violation of the Anti Child Abuse Law and Anti-Trafficking of Persons, kidnapping and serious illegal detention before a QC court.
The charges stemmed from the complaint of Aljane Bacanto who claimed the family detained, abused amd maltreated her while working at their household for three years.
This was the seond time the Tanenglian family was charged by the DoJ before a Quezon City court.
Last Jan. 14, the DoJ filed similar charges against the Tanenglians based on the complaint of another housemaid, Mary Jane Sollano 19.
Hector Lawas
People’s Journal, Page 10
January 21, 2010
DOJ files more raps vs Tanenglians
THE Department of Justice yesterday approved the filing of more kidnapping and physical battery charges against a billionaire, his wife, and two children before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court in connection with the complaint lodged by a minor housemaid against them.
Sued for nine counts of violation of Republic Act 7610 (the Anti Child Abuse Law), violation of Republic Act 9208 (Anti-Trafficking of Persons), kidnapping, and serious illegal detention were Mariano Tanenglian, his wife Aleta, and children Maximillian and Fayette.
This was the second time the Tanenglian family was issued by the DOJ before the courts. Last Jan. 14, the DOJ filed similar charges against them before the QCRTC on the complaint of another housemaid, Mary Jane Sollano, 19.
“In this case, all the elements of the afore-mentioned crimes are present. Respondents who are private individuals illegally deprived complainant of her liberty ny not allowing her to leave their premises from the time of her employment… with threat if she made an attempt to leave, something of great harm will happen to her. This detention, needless to state, is deprivation of th complainant’s liberty,” Assistant Prosecution Attorney II Xerxes Garcia said in his resolution.
The case stemmed from the complaint of Aljane Bacanto who claimed that her ordeal started last May 2006 in the residence of the Tanenglians at Brgy. Siena, Quezon City.
He
People's Tonight, Page 14
January 21,2010
Sued for nine counts of violation of Republic Act 7610 (the Anti Child Abuse Law), violation of Republic Act 9208 (Anti-Trafficking of Persons), kidnapping, and serious illegal detention were Mariano Tanenglian, his wife Aleta, and children Maximillian and Fayette.
This was the second time the Tanenglian family was issued by the DOJ before the courts. Last Jan. 14, the DOJ filed similar charges against them before the QCRTC on the complaint of another housemaid, Mary Jane Sollano, 19.
“In this case, all the elements of the afore-mentioned crimes are present. Respondents who are private individuals illegally deprived complainant of her liberty ny not allowing her to leave their premises from the time of her employment… with threat if she made an attempt to leave, something of great harm will happen to her. This detention, needless to state, is deprivation of th complainant’s liberty,” Assistant Prosecution Attorney II Xerxes Garcia said in his resolution.
The case stemmed from the complaint of Aljane Bacanto who claimed that her ordeal started last May 2006 in the residence of the Tanenglians at Brgy. Siena, Quezon City.
He
People's Tonight, Page 14
January 21,2010
Isa pang criminal complaint sa negosyante, pinaboran ng DOJ
Pinaboran ng Department of Justice (DOJ) ang pagsasampa ng isa pang criminal complaint laban sa negosyanteng si Mariano Tanenglian, may bahay nito at dalawang anak kaugnay ng reklamong umano’y pagmaltrato at serious illegal detention ng isa pang katulong.
Sa 10 pahinang resolusyon na inaprubahan ni Chief Stae Prosecutor Jovencio Zuno, sinabi ng DOJ na may probable cause upang ihabla si Tanenglian, may bahay nitong si Aleta at mga anak na sina Maximillian at Fayette sa kasong kidnapping, serious illegal detention, violation of R.A.9208 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act) at nine counts ng child abuse o paglabag sa R.A 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act).
Sa pag-establisa ng paglabag sa child abuse law, binigyang bigat ng investigating fiscals mula sa Force on Women and Children Protection ng departamento ang testimonya ng complainant na si Aljane Bacanto na dumanas umano siya sa kalupitan, abusing pisikal “and had been subjected to conditions prejudicial to her normal development as a child” nang magsimula umano siyang magtrabaho sa bahay ng Tanenglians” noong Mayo 2006, 16-anyos palang siya, hanggang Enero noong nakaraang taon.
Sa aspeto ng human trafficking, nakakita umano ang DOJ ng merito sa alegasyong slavery, na mahalagang elemento umano ng kaso.
Samantala, ibinasura naman ng DOJ ang reklamong frustrated homicide laban sa mga ito.
Abante Tonight, Pahina 3
Enero 21,2010
Sa 10 pahinang resolusyon na inaprubahan ni Chief Stae Prosecutor Jovencio Zuno, sinabi ng DOJ na may probable cause upang ihabla si Tanenglian, may bahay nitong si Aleta at mga anak na sina Maximillian at Fayette sa kasong kidnapping, serious illegal detention, violation of R.A.9208 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act) at nine counts ng child abuse o paglabag sa R.A 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act).
Sa pag-establisa ng paglabag sa child abuse law, binigyang bigat ng investigating fiscals mula sa Force on Women and Children Protection ng departamento ang testimonya ng complainant na si Aljane Bacanto na dumanas umano siya sa kalupitan, abusing pisikal “and had been subjected to conditions prejudicial to her normal development as a child” nang magsimula umano siyang magtrabaho sa bahay ng Tanenglians” noong Mayo 2006, 16-anyos palang siya, hanggang Enero noong nakaraang taon.
Sa aspeto ng human trafficking, nakakita umano ang DOJ ng merito sa alegasyong slavery, na mahalagang elemento umano ng kaso.
Samantala, ibinasura naman ng DOJ ang reklamong frustrated homicide laban sa mga ito.
Abante Tonight, Pahina 3
Enero 21,2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Wealthy businessman charged anew for maltreating maid
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has recommended the filing of a separate criminal charge before the trial court against wealthy businessman Mariano Tanenglian, his wife, and two children for allegedly maltreating a housemaid.
Earlier, the DOJ recommended the criminal prosecution of the Tanenglians based on the complaint filed by another housemaid, Mary Jane Sollano.
In a 10-page resolution signed by Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuno, the DOJ found merit in the complaint filed by Aljane Bacanto, a resident of Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte, who accused her employers of alleged maltreatment, serious illegal detention, slavery and frustrated homicide.
Bacanto worked for the Tanenglians as a housemaid from 2006 until 2009 and was the one who helped authorities in rescuing Sollano from the accused on August 10, 2009.
Charges of violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act; Republic Act No. 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons of 2003; kidnapping and serious illegal detention under Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code will be filed against the Tanenglians.
“In this case, respondents admitted that they received and employed complainant as their domestic servant. Such receipt and employment was with the intention to enslave and to extract labor or service from the complainant,” the DOJ said.
“Respondents treated complainant not as a human being, but an object which they own, thereby debasing and stripping her of her dignity as a person,” the Justice department added.
Aside from Mariano, the charges were also filed against his wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximilian.
In her complaint-affidavit, Bacanto recounted that she started working with the Tanenglians when she was 16 years old and was allowed only to go home after three years.
During her three-year stay with the Tanenglians, Bacanto claimed she and the other housemaids were not allowed to go out, use the phone and other facilities of the house.
Bacanto added that although she was allowed to write letters to her family, the accused would dictate what she told in her letters.
She also said the Tanenglians would beat them up whenever they were caught getting food or using a cellular phone or radio.
Source:
DateLine Philippines
Posted on January 20, 2010
Retrieved from http://dateline.ph/?p=5128
Earlier, the DOJ recommended the criminal prosecution of the Tanenglians based on the complaint filed by another housemaid, Mary Jane Sollano.
In a 10-page resolution signed by Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuno, the DOJ found merit in the complaint filed by Aljane Bacanto, a resident of Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte, who accused her employers of alleged maltreatment, serious illegal detention, slavery and frustrated homicide.
Bacanto worked for the Tanenglians as a housemaid from 2006 until 2009 and was the one who helped authorities in rescuing Sollano from the accused on August 10, 2009.
Charges of violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act; Republic Act No. 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons of 2003; kidnapping and serious illegal detention under Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code will be filed against the Tanenglians.
“In this case, respondents admitted that they received and employed complainant as their domestic servant. Such receipt and employment was with the intention to enslave and to extract labor or service from the complainant,” the DOJ said.
“Respondents treated complainant not as a human being, but an object which they own, thereby debasing and stripping her of her dignity as a person,” the Justice department added.
Aside from Mariano, the charges were also filed against his wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximilian.
In her complaint-affidavit, Bacanto recounted that she started working with the Tanenglians when she was 16 years old and was allowed only to go home after three years.
During her three-year stay with the Tanenglians, Bacanto claimed she and the other housemaids were not allowed to go out, use the phone and other facilities of the house.
Bacanto added that although she was allowed to write letters to her family, the accused would dictate what she told in her letters.
She also said the Tanenglians would beat them up whenever they were caught getting food or using a cellular phone or radio.
Source:
DateLine Philippines
Posted on January 20, 2010
Retrieved from http://dateline.ph/?p=5128
Child abuse, kidnap charges to be filed vs brother of business tycoon
MANILA, Philippines—State prosecutors approved another set of criminal charges against Mariano Tanenglian, his wife and two children in connection with allegations of physical and verbal abuse of former members of their household.
Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño has approved the resolution of prosecution attorney Xerxes Garcia recommending the filing of criminal charges of child abuse and kidnapping with serious illegal detention against Tanenglian, his wife Aleta and children Maximillian and Fayette as alleged by former maid Aljane Bacanto.
Tanenglian is a brother of tycoon Lucio Tan. They are estranged for personal and business reasons. Tanenglian has offered to testify against Tan in cases filed against him by the Presidential Commission on Good Government.
Bacanto was only 16 years old when she started to work for the Tanenglians at their home in Quezon City.
“Respondents who are private individuals illegally deprived complainant of her liberty by not allowing her to leave their premises from the time of her employment... with a threat if she made an attempt to leave, something of great harm will happen to her,” the DOJ resolution read.
“This detention, needless to state, is deprivation of the complainant's liberty," it added.
The allegations in connection with Bacanto’s case are the second set of charges that the DOJ has filed against the Tanenglians. State prosecutors earlier this month filed similar raps against the family based on the complaint of another maid, Mary Jane Sollano.
Bacanto alleged that she and Sollano were prevented by the family from leaving the house and were threatened with harm if they did.
They alleged that they were made to work very early in the morning until 1 a.m. the following day. They also alleged that they were deprived of food for days.
Because of hunger, Bacanto and Sollano took food without the family’s knowledge and even partook of dog food.
When they were caught, Aleta and Maximilian allegedly subjected them to “inhuman punishments” such as beating, pouring hot water on their hands, slamming their heads on the wall and hitting their mouths with thick slippers.
Bacanto alleged that on Christmas Day in 2007, Fayette locked them inside the kitchen and hit their behind with an iron chain after she and Sollano burned the rice that they were cooking.
Fayette, Bacanto said, even threw some rice on the floor and made them lick the food off the floor.
“(Bacanto) also stressed that Mariano was aware of these inhuman treatments she and Mary Jane received from his family members but opted to be unmindful of their welfare,” the resolution read.
Source:
Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted January 20, 2010
Retrieved from
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20100120-248451/Child-abuse-kidnap-charges-to-be-filed-vs-brother-of-business-tycoon
Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño has approved the resolution of prosecution attorney Xerxes Garcia recommending the filing of criminal charges of child abuse and kidnapping with serious illegal detention against Tanenglian, his wife Aleta and children Maximillian and Fayette as alleged by former maid Aljane Bacanto.
Tanenglian is a brother of tycoon Lucio Tan. They are estranged for personal and business reasons. Tanenglian has offered to testify against Tan in cases filed against him by the Presidential Commission on Good Government.
Bacanto was only 16 years old when she started to work for the Tanenglians at their home in Quezon City.
“Respondents who are private individuals illegally deprived complainant of her liberty by not allowing her to leave their premises from the time of her employment... with a threat if she made an attempt to leave, something of great harm will happen to her,” the DOJ resolution read.
“This detention, needless to state, is deprivation of the complainant's liberty," it added.
The allegations in connection with Bacanto’s case are the second set of charges that the DOJ has filed against the Tanenglians. State prosecutors earlier this month filed similar raps against the family based on the complaint of another maid, Mary Jane Sollano.
Bacanto alleged that she and Sollano were prevented by the family from leaving the house and were threatened with harm if they did.
They alleged that they were made to work very early in the morning until 1 a.m. the following day. They also alleged that they were deprived of food for days.
Because of hunger, Bacanto and Sollano took food without the family’s knowledge and even partook of dog food.
When they were caught, Aleta and Maximilian allegedly subjected them to “inhuman punishments” such as beating, pouring hot water on their hands, slamming their heads on the wall and hitting their mouths with thick slippers.
Bacanto alleged that on Christmas Day in 2007, Fayette locked them inside the kitchen and hit their behind with an iron chain after she and Sollano burned the rice that they were cooking.
Fayette, Bacanto said, even threw some rice on the floor and made them lick the food off the floor.
“(Bacanto) also stressed that Mariano was aware of these inhuman treatments she and Mary Jane received from his family members but opted to be unmindful of their welfare,” the resolution read.
Source:
Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted January 20, 2010
Retrieved from
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20100120-248451/Child-abuse-kidnap-charges-to-be-filed-vs-brother-of-business-tycoon
Lucio Tan’s bro faces new raps
ANOTHER criminal case has been filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) against the businessman Mariano Tanenglian, his wife, and two children in connection with a slew of criminal complaints filed by a housemaid.
Tanenglian is the estranged brother of tycoon Lucio Tan.
Click here for stories and updates on the Sinulog 2010 Festival.
In a 10-page resolution, the DOJ Task Force on Women and Children found probable cause against Tanenglian, wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximilian for nine counts of child abuse, human trafficking, kidnapping, and serious illegal detention charges filed by Aljane Bacanto.
State prosecutors gave weight to the direct and positive testimony of Bacanto, who testified that she was only 16 when employed by the Tanenglians at their residence in Quezon City.
The DOJ panel found merit in the human trafficking charges, citing the existence of an important aspect of the crime – slavery.
“(Bacanto’s) Employment was with the intention to enslave and to extract force labor/service from the complainant. These intentions are inferred from the acts of respondents when they, in fact, detained complainant from the time she was employed and subjected her to incredibly long hours of work for 2 years and 7 months without salary and under constant conditions of cruelty, maltreatment and threat,” the resolution stated.
On the other hand, the respondents are also liable for kidnapping and serious illegal detention when they deprived Bacanto of liberty for over five days.
“Respondents who are private individuals illegally deprived complainant of her liberty by not allowing her to leave their premises from the time of her employment on May 2006 up to Jan. 2009 coupled with threat that if she made an attempt to leave, something of great harm will happen to her. This detention, needless to state, is a deprivation of complainant’s liberty,” the panel said.
But the DOJ junked the charges of frustrated homicide against the Tanenglians.
Bacanto said that during her three-year stay at the Tanenglians, she suffered extreme cruelty and physical abuse from the respondents and had been subjected to conditions prejudicial to her normal development as a child.
She was employed from May 2006 up to January last year when she was rescued by social workers and law enforcers from the Tanenglian household.
In her complaint, Bacanto said that ever since she came to live with them, the Tanenglians prohibited her from going out of the house, or call anybody on the phone.
She said she was only allowed to write letters to her family in Tacloban, but upon dictation of Fayette who told her never to tell her parents of her situation.
On top of that, she never received any salary from the respondents, nor were she and the other housemaids ever fed enough food.
She revealed that she was only given food whenever her employers were satisfied with her job. She said the refrigerators in the house were padlocked and that there were many instances when she was not able to eat in three consecutive days.
This deprivation of food prompted the maids to try to steal food. But she said that once they were caught stealing several times, they were severely punished and mauled by their employers. At one point, she said that she was forced to eat dog food to survive.
Last week, the DOJ initiated the filing of similar criminal charges against the Tanenglians over the complaint of the first maid, Mary Jane Sollano, who was rescued by authorities in August last year.
Bacanto’s testimony supported that of Sollano. She was the one who reported their ordeal to the family of Sollano after she left Tanenglian’s house, which led to the rescue of the latter.
The DOJ is investigating a similar complaint filed by a third housemaid, Gina Renacia.
Source:
Sun.Star Manila
January 20, 2010
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/lucio-tan%E2%80%99s-bro-faces-new-raps
Tanenglian is the estranged brother of tycoon Lucio Tan.
Click here for stories and updates on the Sinulog 2010 Festival.
In a 10-page resolution, the DOJ Task Force on Women and Children found probable cause against Tanenglian, wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximilian for nine counts of child abuse, human trafficking, kidnapping, and serious illegal detention charges filed by Aljane Bacanto.
State prosecutors gave weight to the direct and positive testimony of Bacanto, who testified that she was only 16 when employed by the Tanenglians at their residence in Quezon City.
The DOJ panel found merit in the human trafficking charges, citing the existence of an important aspect of the crime – slavery.
“(Bacanto’s) Employment was with the intention to enslave and to extract force labor/service from the complainant. These intentions are inferred from the acts of respondents when they, in fact, detained complainant from the time she was employed and subjected her to incredibly long hours of work for 2 years and 7 months without salary and under constant conditions of cruelty, maltreatment and threat,” the resolution stated.
On the other hand, the respondents are also liable for kidnapping and serious illegal detention when they deprived Bacanto of liberty for over five days.
“Respondents who are private individuals illegally deprived complainant of her liberty by not allowing her to leave their premises from the time of her employment on May 2006 up to Jan. 2009 coupled with threat that if she made an attempt to leave, something of great harm will happen to her. This detention, needless to state, is a deprivation of complainant’s liberty,” the panel said.
But the DOJ junked the charges of frustrated homicide against the Tanenglians.
Bacanto said that during her three-year stay at the Tanenglians, she suffered extreme cruelty and physical abuse from the respondents and had been subjected to conditions prejudicial to her normal development as a child.
She was employed from May 2006 up to January last year when she was rescued by social workers and law enforcers from the Tanenglian household.
In her complaint, Bacanto said that ever since she came to live with them, the Tanenglians prohibited her from going out of the house, or call anybody on the phone.
She said she was only allowed to write letters to her family in Tacloban, but upon dictation of Fayette who told her never to tell her parents of her situation.
On top of that, she never received any salary from the respondents, nor were she and the other housemaids ever fed enough food.
She revealed that she was only given food whenever her employers were satisfied with her job. She said the refrigerators in the house were padlocked and that there were many instances when she was not able to eat in three consecutive days.
This deprivation of food prompted the maids to try to steal food. But she said that once they were caught stealing several times, they were severely punished and mauled by their employers. At one point, she said that she was forced to eat dog food to survive.
Last week, the DOJ initiated the filing of similar criminal charges against the Tanenglians over the complaint of the first maid, Mary Jane Sollano, who was rescued by authorities in August last year.
Bacanto’s testimony supported that of Sollano. She was the one who reported their ordeal to the family of Sollano after she left Tanenglian’s house, which led to the rescue of the latter.
The DOJ is investigating a similar complaint filed by a third housemaid, Gina Renacia.
Source:
Sun.Star Manila
January 20, 2010
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/lucio-tan%E2%80%99s-bro-faces-new-raps
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Bilyonaryong Tsinoy pinakakasuhan na ng DOJ
Inirekomenda na ng Department of Justice (DOJ) ang pagsasampa ng kasong kidnapping, serious illegal detention, 8 counts ng kasong child abuse at anti-trafficking laban sa negosyanteng si Mariano Tanenglian, asawa niti at dalawang anak sa Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC).
Nag-ugat ang kaso matapos nakasuhan ang pamilya Tanenglian ng kanilang dating katulong na si Mary Jane Sollano, 19, nang pagmamaltrato, serious illegal detention, slavery at frustrated homicide.
Batay sa 17 pahinang resolusyon ng panel na inaprubahan ni Chief State prosecutor Jovencito Zuno sinabi nito na 8 bilang ng child abuse at kasong kidnapping ang isinampa sa pamilya dahil na rin sa napatunayan na 13-anyos pa lamang si Sollano nang irecruit ito ng pamilya at gawing katulong sa kanilang bahay sa #30 Biak na Bato st. Quezon City, mula umano nang mamasukan ang biktima ay pinayagan na makalabas ng bahay at makipag-ugnayan sa kanyang pamilya.
Maliban ditto ay nakatanggap din ng pisikal na pang-aabso ang biktima, hindi pagbibigay ng tamang pagkain gayundin ay may insidente na kinuhaan ito ng hubo’t hubad nang mahuli na nang-uumit ng pagkain mula sa refrigerator.
Kinatigan din ng DOJ ang Testimonya ng ama ng biktima na nagsabing hidi niya nakita ang anak simila taong 2004 at nalaman lamang ang kinasasapitan ng anak nag ipagtapat ng isa pang katulong ng pamilya Tanenglian na nakatakas ang ginagawang pagmamaltrato sa biktima. Kasunod na nito ang ginawang pagrerescue kay Sollano.
Gemma Amargo-Garcia
Pilipino Star Ngayon (Page 3)
Enero 15, 2010
Nag-ugat ang kaso matapos nakasuhan ang pamilya Tanenglian ng kanilang dating katulong na si Mary Jane Sollano, 19, nang pagmamaltrato, serious illegal detention, slavery at frustrated homicide.
Batay sa 17 pahinang resolusyon ng panel na inaprubahan ni Chief State prosecutor Jovencito Zuno sinabi nito na 8 bilang ng child abuse at kasong kidnapping ang isinampa sa pamilya dahil na rin sa napatunayan na 13-anyos pa lamang si Sollano nang irecruit ito ng pamilya at gawing katulong sa kanilang bahay sa #30 Biak na Bato st. Quezon City, mula umano nang mamasukan ang biktima ay pinayagan na makalabas ng bahay at makipag-ugnayan sa kanyang pamilya.
Maliban ditto ay nakatanggap din ng pisikal na pang-aabso ang biktima, hindi pagbibigay ng tamang pagkain gayundin ay may insidente na kinuhaan ito ng hubo’t hubad nang mahuli na nang-uumit ng pagkain mula sa refrigerator.
Kinatigan din ng DOJ ang Testimonya ng ama ng biktima na nagsabing hidi niya nakita ang anak simila taong 2004 at nalaman lamang ang kinasasapitan ng anak nag ipagtapat ng isa pang katulong ng pamilya Tanenglian na nakatakas ang ginagawang pagmamaltrato sa biktima. Kasunod na nito ang ginawang pagrerescue kay Sollano.
Gemma Amargo-Garcia
Pilipino Star Ngayon (Page 3)
Enero 15, 2010
DOJ pushes case vs Tanenglians
THE Department of Justice has recommended the filing in court of eight counts of child abuse, kidnapping and serious illegal detention against businessman Mariano Tanenglian, his wife Aleta and their two children based on the complaint against them by their former housemaid Mary Jane Sollano.
The DOJ Task Force on Women and Children Protection also found probable cause against the Tanenglians to charge them with violation of the anti-trafficking in persons law.
Prosecutors said Sollano, 19, was able to establish that respondents employed her as their housemaid for more than five years, as evidenced by a "contract," with an intention to extract forced labor or involuntary servitude from her for five years without salary and under constant condition of harm and threat.
"Within this period, complainant suffered cruelty, physical abuse from the hands of respondents, and had been subjected to a condition prejudicial to her normal development as a child, in violation of RA 7610," the DOJ said, referring to the anti-child abuse law.
Sollano was only 13 when she was recruited from Zamboanga del Sur to work as a housemaid for the Tanenglians in June 2004. She was rescued by police and social workers on Aug. 10, 2009. Sollano said she was subjected to physical and sexual abuse by the Tanenglians.
Evangeline C. de Vera
Malaya
January 15, 2010
Retrieved from http://www.malaya.com.ph/01152010/metroroundup.html
The DOJ Task Force on Women and Children Protection also found probable cause against the Tanenglians to charge them with violation of the anti-trafficking in persons law.
Prosecutors said Sollano, 19, was able to establish that respondents employed her as their housemaid for more than five years, as evidenced by a "contract," with an intention to extract forced labor or involuntary servitude from her for five years without salary and under constant condition of harm and threat.
"Within this period, complainant suffered cruelty, physical abuse from the hands of respondents, and had been subjected to a condition prejudicial to her normal development as a child, in violation of RA 7610," the DOJ said, referring to the anti-child abuse law.
Sollano was only 13 when she was recruited from Zamboanga del Sur to work as a housemaid for the Tanenglians in June 2004. She was rescued by police and social workers on Aug. 10, 2009. Sollano said she was subjected to physical and sexual abuse by the Tanenglians.
Evangeline C. de Vera
Malaya
January 15, 2010
Retrieved from http://www.malaya.com.ph/01152010/metroroundup.html
DOJ recommends abuse raps vs Tanenglians
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Justice (DOJ)-Task Force on Women and Children Protection has recommended the filing of criminal charges before the Quezon City regional trial court against businessman Mariano Tanenglian, his wife and two children for allegedly abusing their former housemaid.
The DOJ found probable cause to indict Tanenglian, his wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximillian for violating Repulic Act No. 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, Republic Act No. 9208, also known as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, and kidnapping and serious illegal detention under Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code.
“In this case, all the elements of the aforementioned crime(s) are present. Respondents who are private individuals illegally deprived complainant of her liberty by not allowing her to leave their premises for more than five years despite her refusal to extend her services. This detention was coupled with threat that if she made an attempt to leave, something great harm will happen to her,” the DOJ resolution said.
The DoJ Task Force said the complainant, Mary Jane Sollano, was only 13 when she was employed by the Tanenglians in 2004.
In her complaint, Sollano said she suffered physical and mental abuse from her employers and alleged there were instances they would bang her head on the wall, kick her in the body and slap her face when she made mistakes.
Because of the alleged maltreatment, Solleno sought permission to go home but claimed her employers refused, insisting she finish her two-year contract with them.
But before the contract could lapse, she said Aleta made her sign a document without telling her what it was for, only to find out later that it was a two-year extension of her contract. She thus continued to work for the Tanenglians even as the alleged abuse continued.
She even recalled a time when Aleta and Fayette allegedly took her inside a room to take nude photos of her.
“While complainant filed this present case against respondents for alleged maltreatment, serious illegal detention, slavery and frustrated homicide, this Office is not bound to limit its investigation and findings or probable cause on such criminal allegations. Verily, this Office can determine as many crimes as there may be as long as the allegations are in conformity with human experience and proves the elements of the crimes and supported by the evidence submitted,” the DOJ said.
Sollano’s parents said they lost contact with their daughter for almost five years, leading them to think she was already dead. They added that they learned of her whereabouts only from a fellow maid who managed to escape from the Tanenglian household.
Government authorities and representatives of the Commission on Human Rights, Department of Social Welfare and Development rescued Sollano from the Tanenglian’s residence August 10 last year.
Source:
Dateline Philippines
Posted on Jan. 15, 2010
http://dateline.ph/?p=4702
The DOJ found probable cause to indict Tanenglian, his wife Aleta, and children Fayette and Maximillian for violating Repulic Act No. 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, Republic Act No. 9208, also known as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, and kidnapping and serious illegal detention under Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code.
“In this case, all the elements of the aforementioned crime(s) are present. Respondents who are private individuals illegally deprived complainant of her liberty by not allowing her to leave their premises for more than five years despite her refusal to extend her services. This detention was coupled with threat that if she made an attempt to leave, something great harm will happen to her,” the DOJ resolution said.
The DoJ Task Force said the complainant, Mary Jane Sollano, was only 13 when she was employed by the Tanenglians in 2004.
In her complaint, Sollano said she suffered physical and mental abuse from her employers and alleged there were instances they would bang her head on the wall, kick her in the body and slap her face when she made mistakes.
Because of the alleged maltreatment, Solleno sought permission to go home but claimed her employers refused, insisting she finish her two-year contract with them.
But before the contract could lapse, she said Aleta made her sign a document without telling her what it was for, only to find out later that it was a two-year extension of her contract. She thus continued to work for the Tanenglians even as the alleged abuse continued.
She even recalled a time when Aleta and Fayette allegedly took her inside a room to take nude photos of her.
“While complainant filed this present case against respondents for alleged maltreatment, serious illegal detention, slavery and frustrated homicide, this Office is not bound to limit its investigation and findings or probable cause on such criminal allegations. Verily, this Office can determine as many crimes as there may be as long as the allegations are in conformity with human experience and proves the elements of the crimes and supported by the evidence submitted,” the DOJ said.
Sollano’s parents said they lost contact with their daughter for almost five years, leading them to think she was already dead. They added that they learned of her whereabouts only from a fellow maid who managed to escape from the Tanenglian household.
Government authorities and representatives of the Commission on Human Rights, Department of Social Welfare and Development rescued Sollano from the Tanenglian’s residence August 10 last year.
Source:
Dateline Philippines
Posted on Jan. 15, 2010
http://dateline.ph/?p=4702
Tanenglians charged!
GOVERNMENT prosecutors yesterday filed criminal charges against billionaire Mariano Tanenglian, his wife and two children before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court for kidnapping, serious illegal detention and eight counts of child abuse in connection with the alleged maltreatment of a housemaid.
In a 17-page resolution, the Department of Justice Task Force on Women and children Protection accused Tanenglian, his wife, Aleta and children Fayette and Maximillian of allegedly maltreating Mary Jane Sollano 19, in their residence at 30 Biak na Bato St., Quezon City. Kidnapping and trafficking of persons are non-bailable crimes.
Sollano claimed in her complaint that the Tanenglians committed horrible abuses on her that included maltreatment, serious illegal detention, slavery and frustrated homicide.
The DOJ Task Force found that Sollano was only 13 when she was employed as a housemaid by the Tanenglians in 2004.
Sollano said that she was locked up, not allowed to communicate with relatives, and was kicked slapped and suffered various physical abuses even for minor mistakes.
Aleta and Fayette allegedly took nude pictures of the maid while hitting her with an iron bar and thick slippers. In another instance, Fayette allegedly poured hot and water on Solano’s hands when she was caught stealing food, while Maximillian allegedly chained her hands and neck to the point of choking her when she was caught getting food from the refrigerator.
“Within this period, complainant suffered cruelty, physical abuse from the hands of respondents, and had been subjected to a condition prejudicial to her normal development as a child,” the DOJ resolution read.
The DOJ team of investigators also found out that Sollano was illegally deprived of her liberty by the respondents for more than five years. “This detention was coupled with threat that if she made an attempt to leave, something great harm will happen to her,” it added.
People’s Tonight, Page 2
January 15, 2010
In a 17-page resolution, the Department of Justice Task Force on Women and children Protection accused Tanenglian, his wife, Aleta and children Fayette and Maximillian of allegedly maltreating Mary Jane Sollano 19, in their residence at 30 Biak na Bato St., Quezon City. Kidnapping and trafficking of persons are non-bailable crimes.
Sollano claimed in her complaint that the Tanenglians committed horrible abuses on her that included maltreatment, serious illegal detention, slavery and frustrated homicide.
The DOJ Task Force found that Sollano was only 13 when she was employed as a housemaid by the Tanenglians in 2004.
Sollano said that she was locked up, not allowed to communicate with relatives, and was kicked slapped and suffered various physical abuses even for minor mistakes.
Aleta and Fayette allegedly took nude pictures of the maid while hitting her with an iron bar and thick slippers. In another instance, Fayette allegedly poured hot and water on Solano’s hands when she was caught stealing food, while Maximillian allegedly chained her hands and neck to the point of choking her when she was caught getting food from the refrigerator.
“Within this period, complainant suffered cruelty, physical abuse from the hands of respondents, and had been subjected to a condition prejudicial to her normal development as a child,” the DOJ resolution read.
The DOJ team of investigators also found out that Sollano was illegally deprived of her liberty by the respondents for more than five years. “This detention was coupled with threat that if she made an attempt to leave, something great harm will happen to her,” it added.
People’s Tonight, Page 2
January 15, 2010
Tanenglian pinakasuhan ng DOJ
INEREKOMENDA na ng Department of Justice (DOJ) ang pagsasampa ng kasong kidnapping, serious illegal detention, 8 counts ng kasong child abuse at Anti-trafficking laban sa negosyanteng si Mariano Tanenglian, asawa nito at dalawang anak sa Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC).
Nag-uagat ang kaso matapos na kasuhan ang pamilya Tanenglian ng kanilang dating katulong na si Mary Jane Sollano, 19 anyos na inakusahan ang mga ito ng pagmamaltrato, serious illegal detention, slavery at frustrated homicide.
Batay sa 17 pahinang resolusyon ng panel na inaprubahan ni Chief Sate Prosecutor Jovensito Zuno sinabi nito na 8 bilang ng child abuse at kasong kidnapping ang isinampa sa pamilya dahil na rin sa napatunayan na 13 anyos pa lamang si sollano nang i-recruit ito ng pamilya at gawing katulong sa kanilang bahay sa No. 30 Biak na Bato St. Quezon City, mula umano nang mamasukan ang biktima ay hindi ito pinayagan na makalabas ng bahay at pakipag-ugnayan sa kanyang pamilya.
Maliban ditto ay nakatanggap din ng pisikal ng pang-aabuso ang biktima mula sa pamilya kabilang ditto ang pananakit sa kaunting pagkakamali, hindi pagbibigay ng tamang pagkain gayun din may insidente na kinuhaan ito ng hubo’t hubad nang mahuli na nag-uumit ng pagkain mula sa refrigerator.
Nang ma-rescue ay isiniwalat ni Mary Jane ang mapait na sinapit sa pamilya Tanenglian at bagama’t tinangkang suhulan ng kanyang mga amo ay itinuloy pa rin na ireklamo ang mga ito.
Police Files, Page 2
Enero 15, 2010
Nag-uagat ang kaso matapos na kasuhan ang pamilya Tanenglian ng kanilang dating katulong na si Mary Jane Sollano, 19 anyos na inakusahan ang mga ito ng pagmamaltrato, serious illegal detention, slavery at frustrated homicide.
Batay sa 17 pahinang resolusyon ng panel na inaprubahan ni Chief Sate Prosecutor Jovensito Zuno sinabi nito na 8 bilang ng child abuse at kasong kidnapping ang isinampa sa pamilya dahil na rin sa napatunayan na 13 anyos pa lamang si sollano nang i-recruit ito ng pamilya at gawing katulong sa kanilang bahay sa No. 30 Biak na Bato St. Quezon City, mula umano nang mamasukan ang biktima ay hindi ito pinayagan na makalabas ng bahay at pakipag-ugnayan sa kanyang pamilya.
Maliban ditto ay nakatanggap din ng pisikal ng pang-aabuso ang biktima mula sa pamilya kabilang ditto ang pananakit sa kaunting pagkakamali, hindi pagbibigay ng tamang pagkain gayun din may insidente na kinuhaan ito ng hubo’t hubad nang mahuli na nag-uumit ng pagkain mula sa refrigerator.
Nang ma-rescue ay isiniwalat ni Mary Jane ang mapait na sinapit sa pamilya Tanenglian at bagama’t tinangkang suhulan ng kanyang mga amo ay itinuloy pa rin na ireklamo ang mga ito.
Police Files, Page 2
Enero 15, 2010
Tanenglian, et al kinasuhan
Sinampahan kahapon ng Department of Justice (DOJ) sa Quezon City Regional Trial Court ng patung-patong na kaso ang negosyanteng si Mariano Tanenglian at ang pagmamaltrato sa kanilang kasambahay.
Si Tanenglian, ang sawa nitong si Aleta at mga anak na sina Fayette at Maximillian ay kinasuhan ng DOJ ng kidnapping, serious illegal detention, 8 bilang ng child abuse at paglabag sa Anti-Trafficking in Persons matapos makakita ng probable cause sa reklamong isinampa ng kanilang kasambahay na si Mary Jane Sollano, 19 anyos.
Sa 17 pahinang resolusyon ng panel na inaprubahan ni Chief State Prosecutor Jovencio Zuno, Sinabi nito na 8 bilang ng child abuse at kasong kidnapping ang isinampa sa pamilya dahil na rin sa napatunayan na 13-anyos pa lamang si Sollano nang i-recruit ito ng pamilya at gawing katulong sa kanilang bahay sa 30 Biak na Bato St., QC. Mula umano ng mamasukan ang biktima ay hindi ito pinayagang makalabas ng bahay at makipag-ugnayan sa kanyang pamilya.
Maliban ditto ay nakatanggap din ng pisikal na pang-aabuso ang biktima mula sa pamilya kabilang dito ang pananakit sa konting pagkakamali, ‘di pagbibigay ngtamang pagkain gayundin ay may insidente na kinuhaan ito nang hubo’t hubad nang mahuling nang-uumit ng pagkain ula sa refrigerator.
Kinatigan din g DOJ ng testimonya ng ama ng biktima na nagsabing hindi niya nakita ang anak simula taong 2004 at nalaman lamang ang kinasapitan ng anak nang ipagbigay-alam sa kanila ng pamilya Tanenglian na nakatakas, ang ginagawang pagmamaltrato sa biktima.
Bunga nito ay nakipagkoordina ang pamilya Sollano sa Quezon City Police, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) at Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) kung saan isang rescue operation ang isinagawa sa tirahan ng mga Tanenglian noong Agosto 2009.
Tina Mendoza
Abante, Pahina 6
Enero 15,2010
Si Tanenglian, ang sawa nitong si Aleta at mga anak na sina Fayette at Maximillian ay kinasuhan ng DOJ ng kidnapping, serious illegal detention, 8 bilang ng child abuse at paglabag sa Anti-Trafficking in Persons matapos makakita ng probable cause sa reklamong isinampa ng kanilang kasambahay na si Mary Jane Sollano, 19 anyos.
Sa 17 pahinang resolusyon ng panel na inaprubahan ni Chief State Prosecutor Jovencio Zuno, Sinabi nito na 8 bilang ng child abuse at kasong kidnapping ang isinampa sa pamilya dahil na rin sa napatunayan na 13-anyos pa lamang si Sollano nang i-recruit ito ng pamilya at gawing katulong sa kanilang bahay sa 30 Biak na Bato St., QC. Mula umano ng mamasukan ang biktima ay hindi ito pinayagang makalabas ng bahay at makipag-ugnayan sa kanyang pamilya.
Maliban ditto ay nakatanggap din ng pisikal na pang-aabuso ang biktima mula sa pamilya kabilang dito ang pananakit sa konting pagkakamali, ‘di pagbibigay ngtamang pagkain gayundin ay may insidente na kinuhaan ito nang hubo’t hubad nang mahuling nang-uumit ng pagkain ula sa refrigerator.
Kinatigan din g DOJ ng testimonya ng ama ng biktima na nagsabing hindi niya nakita ang anak simula taong 2004 at nalaman lamang ang kinasapitan ng anak nang ipagbigay-alam sa kanila ng pamilya Tanenglian na nakatakas, ang ginagawang pagmamaltrato sa biktima.
Bunga nito ay nakipagkoordina ang pamilya Sollano sa Quezon City Police, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) at Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) kung saan isang rescue operation ang isinagawa sa tirahan ng mga Tanenglian noong Agosto 2009.
Tina Mendoza
Abante, Pahina 6
Enero 15,2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Criminal raps filed vs Lucio Tan’s bro
THE Department of Justice (DOJ) has recommended the filing of criminal charges against businessman Mariano Tanenglian, his wife Aleta, and their two children for eight counts of child abuse, kidnapping, and serious illegal detention filed by their household help.
Tanenglian is an estranged brother of tycoon Lucio Tan.
In a 17-page resolution, the DOJ Task Force on Women and Children Protection also found probable cause against the Tanenglians to charge them with violations of the anti-trafficking in persons law.
The criminal charges were filed before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court based on the complaint filed by Mary Jane Sollano, 19, who accused her employers of alleged maltreatment, serious illegal detention, slavery and even frustrated homicide.
“The uncontroverted accounts of witnesses that for more than five years they have no knowledge of complainant’s whereabouts, that they have to rescue her from the respondents with the help of DSWD, CHR and QCPD, the fact that they were compelled to sign the documents presented to them by respondents’ lawyer as a condition before complainant could be released, and the fact that they received a big amount of money (P137,000) from the respondents bolster the findings that probable cause exist that crimes under RA 7610 and 9208 were committed by the respondents,” the task force said.
Prosecutors said Sollano was able to establish that respondents received and employed her as their housemaid for a period of more than five years, as evidenced by a “contract,” with an intention to extract forced labor or involuntary servitude from her for five years without salary and under constant condition of harm and threat.
“Within this period, complainant suffered cruelty, physical abuse from the hands of respondents, and had been subjected to a condition prejudicial to her normal development as a child, in violation of RA 7610,” the DOJ said, referring to the anti-child abuse law.
Based on records, Sollano was only 13 years old when she was recruited from her hometown in Zamboanga del Sur to work as a housemaid in the Tanenglian residence in June 2004. She was rescued by police and social workers on August 10, 2009.
According to Sollano, she endured a lot of hardships, even physical and sexual abuse, in the hands of her employers.
She said upon her arrival at the Tanenglian residence, she was locked up, not allowed to communicate with relatives, and was kicked, slapped, and suffered various physical abuses even for minor mistakes.
The DOJ gave credit to the claims of Sollano that at one time Aleta and daughter Fayette allegedly took nude pictures of her while hitting her with an iron bar and thick slippers.
In another instance, Fayette allegedly poured hot water on Sollano’s hands when she was caught stealing food, while son Maximillian allegedly chained her hands and neck to the point of choking her when she was caught getting food from the refrigerator.
Sollano claimed she was forced to steal food because she was deprived of food for several days.
As regards the case of trafficking, the Task Force said that respondents admitted receipt of Sollano and even presented a contract signed by Mariano showing that the complainant was employed as a housemaid.
Source:
Sun.Star Manila
January 14, 2010
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/criminal-raps-filed-vs-lucio-tan%E2%80%99s-bro
Tanenglian is an estranged brother of tycoon Lucio Tan.
In a 17-page resolution, the DOJ Task Force on Women and Children Protection also found probable cause against the Tanenglians to charge them with violations of the anti-trafficking in persons law.
The criminal charges were filed before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court based on the complaint filed by Mary Jane Sollano, 19, who accused her employers of alleged maltreatment, serious illegal detention, slavery and even frustrated homicide.
“The uncontroverted accounts of witnesses that for more than five years they have no knowledge of complainant’s whereabouts, that they have to rescue her from the respondents with the help of DSWD, CHR and QCPD, the fact that they were compelled to sign the documents presented to them by respondents’ lawyer as a condition before complainant could be released, and the fact that they received a big amount of money (P137,000) from the respondents bolster the findings that probable cause exist that crimes under RA 7610 and 9208 were committed by the respondents,” the task force said.
Prosecutors said Sollano was able to establish that respondents received and employed her as their housemaid for a period of more than five years, as evidenced by a “contract,” with an intention to extract forced labor or involuntary servitude from her for five years without salary and under constant condition of harm and threat.
“Within this period, complainant suffered cruelty, physical abuse from the hands of respondents, and had been subjected to a condition prejudicial to her normal development as a child, in violation of RA 7610,” the DOJ said, referring to the anti-child abuse law.
Based on records, Sollano was only 13 years old when she was recruited from her hometown in Zamboanga del Sur to work as a housemaid in the Tanenglian residence in June 2004. She was rescued by police and social workers on August 10, 2009.
According to Sollano, she endured a lot of hardships, even physical and sexual abuse, in the hands of her employers.
She said upon her arrival at the Tanenglian residence, she was locked up, not allowed to communicate with relatives, and was kicked, slapped, and suffered various physical abuses even for minor mistakes.
The DOJ gave credit to the claims of Sollano that at one time Aleta and daughter Fayette allegedly took nude pictures of her while hitting her with an iron bar and thick slippers.
In another instance, Fayette allegedly poured hot water on Sollano’s hands when she was caught stealing food, while son Maximillian allegedly chained her hands and neck to the point of choking her when she was caught getting food from the refrigerator.
Sollano claimed she was forced to steal food because she was deprived of food for several days.
As regards the case of trafficking, the Task Force said that respondents admitted receipt of Sollano and even presented a contract signed by Mariano showing that the complainant was employed as a housemaid.
Source:
Sun.Star Manila
January 14, 2010
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/criminal-raps-filed-vs-lucio-tan%E2%80%99s-bro