Filipina arrested for allegedly stabbing Kuwaiti employer
MANILA, Philippines — A Filipina domestic helper has been arrested in Kuwait for allegedly stabbing her employer, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
The DFA is in contact with Kuwaiti authorities in investigating the case of Ulambai Singgayan, who hails from Maguindanao.
The Filipina worker is facing felony charges and was placed under hospital arrest after the supposed stabbing incident.
According to Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sara Lou Arriola, the Philippine Embassy sent a team to the hospital upon learning that Ulambai acquired injuries from members of her employer's family.
"Ulambai and her family here in the Philippines have our assurance that the DFA will provide her with legal and other assistance that she may require," Arriola said.
Singgayan was beaten up after allegedly stabbing her employer, who allegedly threatened to have her visa revoked and transfer her to another house where she would be killed, the DFA said.
Chargé d’Affaires Charleson Hermosura said the Filipina domestic worker has visible bruises in her face, chest and arms.
She also sustained internal bleeding in her abdomen based on an x-ray conducted on her.
Hermosura noted that it was not yet clear if the employer was maltreating Unggayan prior to the stabbing incident.
Philippines, Kuwait diplomatic flap
This incident comes months after a diplomatic standoff between the Philippines and Kuwait.
In April, Kuwait expelled Philippine Ambassador Renato Villa over comments he made about the embassy's effort to rescue domestic workers being abused by their employers.
This prompted the Philippine government to ask for "diplomatic space" while settling the issue with the Kuwaiti government over concerns of overseas Filipino workers.
A month after the Filipino envoy was expelled, Philippines and Kuwait signed a Memorandum of Agreement on the Employment of Domestic Workers which is seen to improve the working conditions of Filipino household workers. — Patricia Lourdes Viray
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