Beware of Kasambahay

We haven’t chanced upon good maids or kasambahay the past few years. When my kids were younger, we had maids who stayed with us for 7 years, 5 years, 3 years.

We hired from employment agencies and even they, admitted to me that the maids nowadays are only good for 3 months, matagal na daw yun. I spoke to the village security and inquired from him if our neighbors’ maids also come and go. He said yes. I asked why, if he knew the reasons. He said there were some who ran away from the employer’s house due to the fault of the employer. There are many who were fired by the employer due to so many reasons. He said in our case, we are not the problem, he said it’s our maids. And why would the guards say that? They do exit interviews. And we live in a small community, usap-usapan yan.

I am glad to know that we are not the problem. We do not maltreat our maids. They are paid what is due them. I give them bags, maleta, clothes for their family, children, relatives. We do not deprive them of rest, tv, and food.
Our garage and kitchen look like a cellphone charging place with all the cellphones of the drivers and maids. Cherry alone had 4 cellphones, nakahilera sa kitchen. The labandera Vicky had 2 or 3. They are free to take day-offs, afternoon-offs, morning-offs anytime that extend beyond the 2 day a month rule.

I interviewed an international cook two days ago, she said she can cook for 1,000 people. We are only 4 and most of the time we eat out. I seldom throw parties and only for 10-50. We have limited space, our house cannot hold 200 people or else we would be partying inside the toilets, laundry and maids’ room. She asked for P12,000 salary before I could even say yes or no, she dropped it to P10,000, then she said “sige kahit P8,000 pwede na. Kailangan ko lang may matuluyan kasi nag-uupa ako ng kwarto mahigit isang libo”. She’s not looking for a job for the right reason. Naghahanap lang ng libreng tulog, kain, ligo, tv. The employment agency was supposed to bring her here yesterday morning but she did not show-up.

Last Saturday, on our way from Nasugbu back to Manila, Edmund and I made a quick stop in Tagaytay. A 23 year old house maid was recommended to me. Hazel, said that she wants P3,000 salary higher than the P2,000 she is receiving now that’s why she wants to transfer. I don’t pay maids P3,000. We pay much much more than that.
I interviewed her and gave her P1,500 to pay-off her vale to her present employer, plus another P150 transportation from Tagaytay to SM Megamall where my driver is supposed to pick her up.

Edmund told me after we left baka itakbo yung pera. Kasi daw he saw her facial reaction after I handed over the cash.
Tuwang-tuwa, para daw “hmmm maka pag shopping nga”. He joked na baka mawala na yun.

She disappeared after I gave her the P1,650 never answered my calls, gone with my money. Edmund was right.
The one who recommended her, out of embarassment offered to return my P1,650.

Last night I watched TV Patrol. Did you see the picture of the maid Rosalyn Natividad? If that’s her real name. She’s pretty and very young. She attacked her female employer. It was pre-meditated.
First, she cut the electricity connection by turning-off the main switch from the panel board. Sanay!
She rang the door bell so the employer went out of her bedroom, she fell-down the stairs because the maid put cooking oil on the flooring and stairs. The employer said after she fell, when she opened her eyes, this maid was standing beside her and hit her with a bottle of liquor on the head.

The maid is still at large. She stole some items and when they inspected the house, they saw that all their windows are open. Siguro baka may mga kasamahan or para maka takbo sya agad.

Madalas ako mapagalitan ni Edmund kasi daw bakit matutulog na lang ako eh bababa pa ako to check if our doors and windows are locked. We have so many windows to check and 5 doors on the upper ground floor. Madalas, the maids keep the sliding door at the back open. Minsan parang sinasadya kahit turuan ko how to lock it, pagdating ng midnight, nakabukas pa rin.

Author : cecile
Comment:
Good morning Ms. Annie! At gising pa po kayo sa mga oras na yon! 🙂
Nakakatakot po ang balitang yan. Naalala ko po tuloy yong isang bata na namatay dahil sa yaya. Pag-kauwi daw ng nanay nakita nya na nakakumot ang bata, sabi po ng yaya tulog na raw po. Pero nong makapahinga ang nanay pinuntahan niya ang anak at hinalikan. Doon po nya na-realize na malamig na ang bata. Yong padre de familya po ay kakilala ng husband ko pero sa navy naman naka-assign. natakot po ako nong mabalitaan ko yan lalo na at working mother po ako at naiiwan lang ang mga anak ko sa katulong.

I also know two horrible stories.
1. A bank officer (I will call her Mely) in her mid 30’s was suffering from post-natal depression and boredom. She hasn’t gone back to work because she just gave birth a month ago. One afternoon, she decided to go out. She drove and visited her mother in Quezon City. She came back after two hours and the yaya was missing. Her baby was in the crib.
She went around the house looking for the yaya but she’s gone. When she went back to the nursery to check on her baby, she noticed that her baby has a big bukol and bruise on the head. Her baby is no longer breathing. In panic, she brought her baby to the hospital but it was pronounced dead on arrival.

Mely was hysterical. The yaya was caught and now in jail. According to her, she accidentally dropped the baby. She got scared and ran to her sister who’s working as maid in Valle Verde. Mely said the yaya could have brought her baby to the hospital, maybe her baby could still be saved.

2. Their two year old son has been missing for two days. They thought he was kidnapped by the yaya. The yaya contacted them asking for P50,000 ransom. They went to the police to help them find the yaya. She was hiding with her relatives in Tondo, Manila. After 3 days, they searched their whole house and found their son in the ceiling, dead from heat and suffocation. He was wrapped in newspaper and blanket.