Woman who cried wolf leaves … again
Embassy shelter has no clue where she is
Ayla Marisse G Ginete
Contributor
Filipina Rosario Pineda, a former tailor who has been in and out of the OWWA shelter since 2003, has reportedly left the shelter again.
Rosario lived at the Overseas Workers Welfare Association shelter, waiting for a settlement of her labour case. She left the shelter on two occasions, disappearing for months on end and was believed to have gone away with her lover only to come back crying and seeking help again.
Pineda signed a waiver before leaving the shelter and has not informed embassy officials about her whereabouts. She has relieved the shelter of any responsibility towards her by signing the waiver document. It is believed that this time she has gone away with another lover.
Woman who cried wolf leaves … again
Embassy shelter has no clue where she is
Ayla Marisse G Ginete
Contributor
Filipina Rosario Pineda, a former tailor who has been in and out of the OWWA shelter since 2003, has reportedly left the shelter again.
Rosario lived at the Overseas Workers Welfare Association shelter, waiting for a settlement of her labour case. She left the shelter on two occasions, disappearing for months on end and was believed to have gone away with her lover only to come back crying and seeking help again.
Pineda signed a waiver before leaving the shelter and has not informed embassy officials about her whereabouts. She has relieved the shelter of any responsibility towards her by signing the waiver document. It is believed that this time she has gone away with another lover.
Pineda filed a labour case against her employer Rashid Mubarak Bu Turki on November 22 for five months’ wages for working as a seamstress in his Muharraq tailoring shop.
The three-year-old labour case evolved into a civil case. The sponsor countered her with a case claiming BD560 loaned to her before she left the Philippines and arrived in Bahrain. The sponsor produced a promissory note signed by Pineda stating that she would reimburse the loan through monthly deductions from her salary.
CID reports confirmed that the signature on the promisory note didn’t match hers or the specimen she was asked to provide. Based on CID findings, court ruled in the sponsor’s favour as Pineda did not appear for hearings.
Embassy officials believe it was the main reason the case lost merit.
The shelter monitors inmates by calling attendance every four hours to ensure the headcount. In case of a discrepancy with an inmate running away, the embassy immediately contacts the sponsor concerned.
Essentially, the runaways cannot leave the shelter at any point in time except for visits to hospital, court, the Ministry of Labour, police station and immigration directorate.
Those wishing to attend church or mass services must be accompanied by a responsible citizen who has to sign a “waiver of responsibility” for the inmate concerned. The waiver contains the location and the time of return. Through this, they bear full responsibility for the inmate and can be held liable should something happen.
“The waiver is binding to the people accompanying inmates and the OWWA. On other occasions, we let them go out for ‘trials’ if sponsors want to observe their skills. But this can only be done with the sponsor’s consent. If they disagree we cannot let inmates out,” an embassy official said. “Pineda seems to have an impression that she can use the shelter as a boarding house. Coming and going as she pleases. This is the third time she has left. She signed the waiver that frees us from any responsibility towards her.”
Article from: Bahrain Tribune Newspaper- www.BahrainTribune.com
