Elvie Vergara's employers lied during polygraph test —NBI examiners

The employers of abused helper Elvie Vergara have been found lying during their polygraph examinations, officers of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) who conducted the test told the Senate justice and human rights committee on Monday.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada asked NBI polygraph examiners Eddie Betervo and John Greg Ferran to confirm the results of the polygraph test which stated that the responses of France and Pablo Jerry Ruiz are “indicative of deceptions.”

“Ibig mo bang sabihin nagsisinungaling si Ginang France (Are you saying Mrs. France is lying)?” Estrada asked Ferran, who conducted the test on France Ruiz, to which he answered in the affirmative.

Betervo, who conducted the test on Pablo, was asked the same question to which he also answered in the affirmative.

Asked how sure they were with their findings, Betervo explained that they conducted three series of polygraph examinations, which is a standard procedure for the computerized polygraph system.

“After ng three series na ‘yon tiningnan po namin ang results [at] consistent ang kanyang reaction sa tanong na binigay ko sa kanya during the actual test… Consistent po na nagsisinungaling siya d'on,” Betervo said.

(After three series of tests, we checked the results and her reaction was consistent. Consistent that she was lying.)

The NBI personnel maintained that the polygraph test they conducted is 99% accurate.

Before the NBI officers confirmed the results of the test, Tulfo asked France if she thinks she passed the test to which the latter answered: “Ako po ay nagsabi ng totoo…Pumasa po (I am telling the truth. I passed the test).”

But Tulfo immediately told her that the results showed that they flunked the examination.

“Lumilitaw dito na ikaw ay deceptive. Ikaw ay nagsisinungaling. Bumagsak ka (It shows here that you are deceptive. You are lying. You failed the test,” Tulfo told France.

Vergara’s co-workers, JM Taroma and Patrick Simbaon who also took the polygraph test passed the examination, according to Estrada.

During last week’s hearing, the Ruiz couple as well as JM and Patrick agreed to undergo a polygraph test that would be administered by the NBI to prove their claims that they did not abuse Vergara.

The Senate panel investigated the case of Vergara, who went partially blind after allegedly suffering abuse at the hands of her employers. The 44-year-old helper escaped from her employers, who allegedly have been abusing her since 2020.

France and Pablo repeatedly denied the allegations in the previous Senate hearings.

On Monday, the panel cited Pablo in contempt for lying before the committee. He will be joining his wife, who was also cited in contempt during the September 19 hearing, in detention.

The Ruizes claimed Vergara’s injuries and blindness were caused by a fight with their male house helpers, a claim denied by the other helpers.—AOL, GMA Integrated News