An overseas Filipino worker who fled a home in Saudi Arabia where she reportedly endured abuse has been taken into the safety of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, where she now waits to be brought back to the Philippines.
The 45-year-old woman broke away from her employer on Aug. 2 and made her way to the embassy, according to accounts of her escape. Officials said she had been mistreated and appeared severely malnourished by the time she reached safety.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson confirmed that efforts to secure her return are already underway at the national level.
“What is important is that the national government has already taken action to bring her back to Negros Occidental,” Lacson said during an interview on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
The governor also signaled that provincial officials are prepared to offer financial assistance once she arrives back in the province.
A native of Cebu, the woman is married to a man from Barangay 8 in Isabela City, Negros Occidental, and has three young children. She first took up work in Riyadh in January 2023 under an arrangement that ran through December 2025, later agreeing to stay on through Dec. 31, 2026.
Isabela Mayor Miguel Angelo Yulo said in a Facebook post that his office is coordinating with the worker’s family and national agencies to help facilitate her journey home.
