THE former employers of household helper Elvie Vergara who she has accused of maltreating her are now facing a string of criminal offenses, senators were told yesterday.
Lawyer Jovito Gambol, Vergara’s legal counsel, told the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights that Pablo Ruiz and his wife France have been slapped with serious illegal detention, trafficking in person, and violation of the Kasambahay Law charges, supposedly for abusing the househelp since 2020 until her rescue last May.
Gambol said the preliminary investigation into the complaints will be held today at the Batangas Provincial Prosecutors Office.
The Senate panel yesterday issued a subpoena against the Ruiz couple and their two children, Jerry and Dabica to attend the next hearing.
Members of the Ruiz family were invited to attend Tuesday’s hearing but were unable to attend due to various medical conditions, as indicated in an “excuse letter” submitted to the committee.
Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada questioned the letter, stressing that the Senate is not a school where vital resource persons can present excuse letters to justify their absence.
“So, this is just a piece of paper? Mr. Chair, I move that we subpoena the family of Pablo Ruiz, the wife France, and the two children,” Estrada said.
Committee chairman Sen. Francis Tolentino approved Estrada’s motion.
The committee conducted its first motu proprio hearing on the case of Vergara, whose story went viral on social media sites.
The Ruiz couple, who resides in Occidental Mindoro, employed Vergara, 44, in 2017 as a household helper. Her tasks included watching the family’s store.
Vergara told senators she was accused of theft by her employers three years after she was hired, after which they supposedly started to physically abuse her by hitting her on the ears and eyes and slamming her head against the wall.
She added she was physically abused whenever she made mistakes.
Vergara said her eyes became partially blind due to the trauma from the constant hitting of her employers.
She narrated that after becoming partially blind, the Ruiz couple brought her to their children in Batangas supposedly to have her eyes checked by doctors but she said she did not receive any medical care.
She said a certain Hana, another household helper, helped her seek help from relatives by secretly sending messages on Facebook using the laptop computer of one of the couple’s children who was then away.
Vergara said they were able to connect with one of her eight siblings who fetched her in Batangas.
Doctors said Vergara’s eyes have developed corneal scarring due to the constant beating she allegedly got from her former employers.
In an earlier statement, the Ruiz couple denied maltreating Vergara and stood by their allegation that the household helper stole P2,000 and P12,000 from them.
The couple said they did not hit Vergara and the partial blindness was a result of an earlier fight she had with their previous worker.
They added that they have Vergara underwent medical care.
