Actress Ruffa Gutierrez said on April 5 that she will abide by the decision of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and will pay the claims of her two former maids.
Mariglen Abraham-Garduque, lawyer of the Gutierrez family, sent a statement to Manila Bulletin regarding the case.
Actress Ruffa Gutierrez (Instagram)
"We were able to secure yesterday a copy of the DOLE-NCR decision after hearing the case of the 2 househelps. The award given was a mitigated amount of a total of Php13,299.92 for both of the complainants already which Ruffa is willing to pay,” she said.
While Gutierrez expressed willingness to pay the two former maids, she said she did not know that a case was filed by her two former maids before the DOLE.
Gutierrez was reacting to news reports that she lost a labor case filed by the two housekeepers at the DOLE National Capital Region.
“Yes Ruffa read the news articles. She was surprised because she did not receive any notice, order or decision regarding that case. In other words she did not know that a case against her was filed by her former househelps at DOLE-NCR," said Abraham-Garduque.
The lawyer said the last time Gutierrez heard from the two maids was when they attended a meeting at the Public Attorney’s Office in Muntinlupa where the two failed to appear and at the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC).
"The last time Ruffa heard from them was when we attended a hearing before the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) at Muntinlupa but said househelps failed to appear," the lawyer said.
She added, "Then at SENA-NLRC [Single Entry Approach-National Labor Relations Commission] when they claimed for 50k damages for each of them, 50k attorney's fees, plane fare of 8k and for 11 days unpaid wages."
"The parties failed to settle because Ruffa felt that the claims were unreasonable and she was only willing to pay for 7 days unpaid wages which she failed to give because the househelps left without waiting for her. Thereafter Ruffa did not hear anything from them anymore until this news of the decision from DOLE-NCR," she said.
In July last year, the two domestic workers were allegedly thrown out of the house of Gutierrez in the posh Ayala Alabang Village in Muntinlupa.
Gutierrez denied this.
"There was a situation at home while I was shooting on the set of 'Maid In Malacañang', so my staff had to call security to make sure my children were safe,” Gutierrez said in a series of tweets in reply to Party List Rep. Rowena Guanzon.
She added, “The 2 new kasambahays who have been in our household for only around 2 weeks were fighting our 68-year old senior mayordoma (who has been under my care for more than 18 years).”
“Nang-aaway po sila sa ibang mga kasamahan sa bahay ng wala po ako. They were demanding to leave the house, which I said they were able to do AFTER I returned home from work, so I could talk to them before they leave,” she said.
She added, “I’m always very generous with those I love and those that work for me kaya most of our helpers have been with me for 13-35 years. We are FAMILY.”