Battered maid Mary Jane Sollano, represented by her lawyer Al Parreno, yesterday filed additional criminal charges of maltreatment, serious illegal detention, slavery and frustrated homicide before the Department of Justice against Mariano Tanenglian, his wife Aleta, as well as children Maximilian and Fayette.
In a three-page affidavit, Sollano detailed how she was allegedly “physically and mentally abused” by the Tanenglian family inside their residence at Bgy. Siena in Quezon City from July 2004 up to Aug. 10. The maid claimed she and her fellow helpers were “not allowed to use the telephone or cellphone, laugh, sit in their (family’s) chairs, look outside the window, watch TV, eat at any time, sleep or rest before our tasks were completed, and read any reading material or even write.”
During her first month at the Tanenglian household, Sollano alleged she was already maltreated and abused by the Tanenglian household. “I was not yet familiar with my job so Ate Aleta got mad and slapped me. Since then, they would instantly hurt me for every small mistake I make,” she said. “In my five-year stay in their house, I was not allowed to go out. They even threatened me that they would do something bad if I ask for help from outside.”
Sollano said she tried to escape by asking permission to go home to her province in Zamboanga del Sur but her employers would not allow her. She was told that she had to finish her two-year contract.
When her contract ended in 2006, Aleta supposedly called a lawyer and told the housemaid to sign a new contract without reading its contents. She only learned later on that she signed another contract for another two years of service in the house.
Sollano added that she pleaded to her employer to let her go, but Aleta said she still had debts to pay.
She even recalled an instance where she was brought by Aleta and Fayette to a room where they took nude photos of her.
Sollano said Fayette once poured hot water on her hands after she was caught eating their food. In another incident, her hands and neck were supposedly chained.
Attached with the complaint were affidavits from police, Commission on Human Rights, Department of Social Welfare and Development as well as other persons present during the rescue of the housemaid.
In a three-page affidavit, Sollano detailed how she was allegedly “physically and mentally abused” by the Tanenglian family inside their residence at Bgy. Siena in Quezon City from July 2004 up to Aug. 10. The maid claimed she and her fellow helpers were “not allowed to use the telephone or cellphone, laugh, sit in their (family’s) chairs, look outside the window, watch TV, eat at any time, sleep or rest before our tasks were completed, and read any reading material or even write.”
During her first month at the Tanenglian household, Sollano alleged she was already maltreated and abused by the Tanenglian household. “I was not yet familiar with my job so Ate Aleta got mad and slapped me. Since then, they would instantly hurt me for every small mistake I make,” she said. “In my five-year stay in their house, I was not allowed to go out. They even threatened me that they would do something bad if I ask for help from outside.”
Sollano said she tried to escape by asking permission to go home to her province in Zamboanga del Sur but her employers would not allow her. She was told that she had to finish her two-year contract.
When her contract ended in 2006, Aleta supposedly called a lawyer and told the housemaid to sign a new contract without reading its contents. She only learned later on that she signed another contract for another two years of service in the house.
Sollano added that she pleaded to her employer to let her go, but Aleta said she still had debts to pay.
She even recalled an instance where she was brought by Aleta and Fayette to a room where they took nude photos of her.
Sollano said Fayette once poured hot water on her hands after she was caught eating their food. In another incident, her hands and neck were supposedly chained.
Attached with the complaint were affidavits from police, Commission on Human Rights, Department of Social Welfare and Development as well as other persons present during the rescue of the housemaid.
Source:
Lawas, Hector, People's Journal (Vol XXXI No. 229 p.7) Published August 28, 2009.
People's Tonight (Vol. XXIX No. 302 p.1-2) Retrieved from
http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php?issue=2009-08-28&sec=1&aid=101634
