“For almost a year, we only wished for Marilyn to be rescued but they have done nothing until my sister died.”
By BETTINA CATLI
Bulatlat.com
It has been a month since Marilyn Restor’s family has received the news that her body had been found in a morgue in Saudi Arabia, 42 days after she died.
Marilyn was abducted by armed men on June 13, 2014 while taking out the trash. Almost a year later, her husband’s employer received a call that Marilyn was pushed from a third story rooftop and died.
Her sister, Lani Dizon sought out help from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine embassy in Saudi during the months Marilyn was missing.
“My mother’s cellphone almost broke because she kept it with her constantly even while she slept, thinking that every call will be her voice at the end of the line,” Dizon said, at a press conference of Migrante International on July 17.
Their worry increased when they met two OFWs who escaped Princess Jada’s abuse. Their efforts to get government help turned into a fruitless, repetitive frenzy, until it was too late.
“For almost a year, we only wished for Marilyn to be rescued but they have done nothing until my sister died,” Dizon said.
Hard worker
Marilyn was the third of 16 children, “Among us 16, she was the one who was different. When we were still children, she was always the obedient, kind one,” Dizon said. But life was hard when you belonged to a family of 18.
“Not all of us had a chance to finish school, but Marilyn pursued studying until she graduated,” she said.
Marilyn was a hard worker since she was a young girl. She pushed herself to study and finish school but funds were low so she became a working student.
“She used to pick vegetables like kangkong, dahon ng amapalaya and bundle them up to sell in the wet market,” Dizon, with tears in her eyes, recalled how her sister worked to earn money in the morning. By five in the afternoon, she would go to school until nine in the evening. This was what she did to provide the things she needed for school. Sometimes selling vegetables was not enough, so she cooked rice cakes for afternoon snacks and sold them too. Eventually all her work paid off and she graduated college with a degree in pharmacy.
When she started her own family, she managed to own a small eatery but her children were growing up and realizing that their income would not be sufficient for their growing family, she decided to work abroad as a domestic helper. Marilyn worked as a domestic helper of a royal family in Saudi for more than 10 years. Her husband joined her, together with their youngest daughter, in Saudi and worked in the same household to support their remaining children in Davao.
Whenever she got the chance to visit the country, she found time to bond with her eldest sister Dizon who lived in Marikina.
“The last time we were together was when she came home in May 2012. She had a connecting flight from Manila to Davao at 4 a.m., so we just stayed in the airport and talked. We enjoyed those few hours. That was the last time we bonded,” Dizon said.
In more than 10 years of working in Saudi, she had provided well for her family. Her eldest child is set to graduate college in October. Marilyn even bought a camera for the special occasion. Her contract was supposed to end this year, and she was determined to come home and document her child’s graduation.
Sol Pillas, secretary general of Migrante International said that Marilyn is one among 10 OFWs who were under the custody of the princess. Five have already been repatriated, one is in jail, one is under the custody of the Philippine embassy, and two are still missing.
“Our plan is to bring this case to the international arena because this kind of crime should not be taken lightly. We are asking for international support so that justice can be brought and the princess and the prince are brought to jail,” said Pillas.
“It doesn’t mean that because you are royalty, you cannot be subjected to the law and call yourself untouchable. They are not exempt from the law,” she said.
