‘Deplorable’: Senators horrified and outraged at PH envoys’s assaulting Pinay Maid

Upon seeing the leaked CCTV footage of the Philippine Ambassador to Brazil assaulting the Pinay domestic helper, Sen. Joel Villanueva and Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri were outraged and horrified on Marichu Mauro’s ‘brazen’ acts againts her fellow Filipina.

The senators urge the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to conduct a “thorough investigation” on the matter and deemed her behavior as “deplorable”:
“The alleged abuse and maltreatment that a Filipino domestic worker suffered from the hands of the country’s ambassador to Brazil is deplorable and [it is] conduct unbecoming [of] a diplomatic official who should be watching out for the welfare of their countrymen in a foreign land instead of inflicting harm,” – Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee.

He added that there are currently 1,200 Filipinos in Brazil, so this act rans contrary on their mission of ensuring the welfare of the people abroad, “our embassies should be taking care of the welfare of our people overseas. How can they trust our embassies if our ambassador is involved in perpetuating the abuse? We strongly condemn this incident, and we ask the DFA leadership to investigate our ambassador to Brazil.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Zubiri called this incident as a “black-eye on our image abroad” as he stated: “while watching the video, I was horrified to see the brazenness of our ambassador to Brazil in physically maltreating the embassy service staff. I cannot imagine how people in her position could enact such violence to the very people they are sworn to protect.” He, then, encourage the victim of Mauro’s assault to come forward and confront her abuser.

According to Brazil Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they haven’t yet been notified of the complaints passed against the Ambassador of the PH yet they already express their full support for the progess of investigation, in accordance with the Convention of Vienna.