‘My boss screwed up, and I face deportation’

A Filipino maid says she did not deserve a jail sentence because it was her employer's fault for not renewing her work permit.

KAJANG: A Filipino maid, who has been jailed and awaiting deportation, is planning to sue the Malaysian government and the police force for her suffering in the country.

Jemie A Ramos, 31, who spent 20 days in a police lock-up in Jalan Travers, Brickfields, and five days in Kajang Prison, is crying foul because her employer had failed to renew her work permit.

The magistrate’s court in Jalan Duta sentenced her to five days’ jail for not having valid documents and ordered to be deported after her prison term was over.

Jemie is now at the Machap Umboo Detention Centre in Malacca after serving her jail sentence.

She said her family intended to sue the Malaysian government and the police force for her suffering.

She added that it was not her fault because the employer was supposed to renew her work permit.

Earlier, Jemie was working for another employer before being offered a job by a lawyer and church leader in Kuala Lumpur.

“I have worked for him for the past two years and he kept telling me that my work permit as been taken care of,” she told FMT at the Kajang Prison.

Jamie said she was employed along with another maid Lisa Balajadia.

“My boss drove many luxury cars, including few Mercedes-Benz, Hummer and Lamborghini and often received money in stacks. We were suspicious but did not speak about this to anyone out of fear.

“No one will believe us anyway as my employer is a pious man who prayed a lot and he was a leader in a church.

“He also warned us not to reveal his womanising activities to anyone,” she said.

The maid alleged that the employer had molested her but did not tell the incident anyone.

“People will think that I am a mad woman as my employer is perceived to be a good man by everyone because he is leader in a church.

Ordeal in prison

Both the maids’ ordeal started when they tried to relate to someone on his womanising and illegal activities.

“We know what is happening in his home and if the authorities were to raid his house we may also be in trouble,” said Jeime.

Jeime and Lisa then decided to leave the employer’s house and stayed elsewhere for a month.

She said the employer then had called called them and asked them to go to his house to collect their salaries on Sept 9.

“While we were in his house, the employer called the police who arrived and took us away.

“We were arrested for not having valid documents but the employer was not charged.

“I was jailed for something that I have not done. I do not deserve this for being loyal to my employer.

“My employer told the police that he did not know us and the police never bothered to check, ” she said.

She added that she had the SMS in her phone from the employer asking her to collect her salary.

All Jaime wants now is to see her son and be united with her family in the Philippines.