Helper blinded after fight with coworkers, say employers

The former employers of Elvie Vergara, the 44-year-old helper who has gone blind and sustained numerous scars, on Tuesday denied hurting her.

During the hearing of the Senate committee on justice and human rights, France Ruiz claimed that Vergara’s wounds were from scratches.

“Yung mga sugat sugat po niya na ‘yan, nakakamot niya po,” she said.

When asked if Vergara’s blindness and other wounds were from scratches, Ruiz said they were from a fight among their helpers.

“Hindi po. Yun po ‘yung pag -aaway nila magkakasama daw doon sa likod. Late ko na rin po nalaman na nag-aaway-away po pala sila sa likod,” Ruiz said.

(No. That’s because of a fight between them. I found out late that they were fighting in the back.)

Vergara, however, denied that she had a fight with anyone.

Ruiz then said that a certain “JM” punched Vergara after she supposedly used his belongings. She said she talked to both at the same time and that Vergara supposedly apologized.

This was denied by Vergara.

“Sinungaling po sila. HIndi po yan totoo, sinungaling. Totoo po, sinusuntok po ako [ni JM]… pati po ‘yan si ate France,” she said.

(They are lying. That’s not true, liar. It’s true, I was punched [by JM]… and also France.)

When asked why JM hurt her, Vergara said it was on the orders of Ruiz.

France’s husband, Pablo Ruiz, also denied hurting Vergara by throwing plastic desks at her whenever he was drunk.

Committee chairman and Senator Francis Tolentino, meanwhile, read the sworn statement of another former helper who said that he saw Vergara being abused.

“Ang sinumpaang salaysay ni Dodong, nakalagay dito sa number 4 paragraph, nakita at nasaksihan ng dalawang mata ko na inuutusan din po ni Mrs. Ruiz sa pananakit, panggugulpi, paninipa, panuntok kay Elvie ang kasamahan namin na mga trabahador din,” Tolentino said.

(The sworn statement of Dodong, it says here in paragraph 4, I saw with my own two eyes that Mrs. Ruiz ordered our colleagues to hurt, abuse, kick, and punch Elvie.)

Vergara said Dodong escaped from the couple as he was also not being given his wage.

“Tumakas po yun eh nang hindi nagpaalam,” she said.

Meanwhile, Senator Jinggoy Estrada warned the couple that they would be held liable if they were found to be lying.

“I’m warning both of you dahil kapag oras na napatunayan namin na kayong dalawa nag sisinungaling, pakukulong ka namin,” he said.

(I’m warning both of you because the moment we are sure that you are  lying, we will have you jailed.)

Vergara looked back on her traumatic experiences in an episode of “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho.”—LDF, GMA Integrated News