HR Body in Saudi Probes Mancilla Case: DFA

The highest human rights body in Saudi Arabia has taken “serious interest” in the case of Agnes Mancilla, the Filipina worker allegedly forced to ingest bleach in Jeddah, and is currently looking into her case, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday night.

Consul General Edgar Badajos of the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah said representatives from the National Society for Human Rights in Saudi Arabia visited Mancilla at the King Fahd Hospital in Jizan to interview her and check the extent of her injuries.

According to the envoy, the Society is an independent non-government organization cloaked with the power to investigate and make appropriate recommendations to the Prosecution Office based on its findings.

He added that “the Society was organized to defend not only the human rights of Saudis but those of residents and visitors as well.”

The Philippine government, through the DFA, welcomed the development on Mancilla’s case.

“We welcome the investigation conducted by the Society. We believe it demonstrates the resolve of Saudi authorities to bring those responsible for Agnes’s horrifying ordeal to justice,” said Elmer Cato, assistant secretary of the DFA-Office of Public Diplomacy.

Cato said the Consulate General in Jeddah, through the Philippine Overseas Labor Office and the Overseas Workers Welfare Office, has also succeeded in securing the commitment of Mancilla’s recruiting agency in Saudi Arabia to help pay for her medical and related expenses.

Badajos, for his part, is hoping that Mancilla would be well enough to be transferred to Jeddah before members of her family are flown in next week. (PNA)