Shots fired at house of witness in case of abused Occidental Mindoro helper —police

An unidentified gunman fired shots at the house of a witness in the case of a helper who was allegedly abused by her employers in Occidental Mindoro to the point of partial blindness, Unang Balita reported on Wednesday.

Citing Paluan Police chief Police Major Rodrigo Borlado Jr's interview on Super Radyo dzBB, the report said the perpetrator forcibly entered the house of the witness, shot at the direction of the witness twice, and fled.

The witness was safe.

Police said the perpetrator was possibly intimidating the witness in the case.

Authorities are still working on identifying the perpetrator, who was reportedly wearing a bonnet during the shooting incident.

Helper Elvie Vergara went partially blind after allegedly suffering abuse at the hands of her employers. The 44-year-old helper was able to escape from her employers, who allegedly abused her since 2020.

Vergara's former employers have denied the allegations during a Senate investigation conducted by the Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

However, the family's failure to attend subsequent hearings prompted the committee to issue a subpoena against them.

Vergara and her family have filed cases of serious illegal detention, trafficking, and serious physical injuries against her former employers. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA Integrated News