By The SUN staff
 |
| R.G.'s body inside the MidLevels flat |
A sickly Filipina domestic helper who would have turned 69
years old in January next year, died alone at the height of a signal 8 typhoon last Sunday, Oct. 8,
at the home of her part-time employer in Mid-Levels.
R.G. reportedly called up her friend Joan at about 10:11pm
that day, saying she felt unwell and asked for help. But it took awhile for the
ambulance to get to her because Joan couldn’t give the exact address and she
had already gone back to her own employer’s house.
It was only after the police were summoned and managed to
pick up Joan that R.G. was found in the Kotewall Road flat at about 11pm. Police had to break down the door of the flat to get in, but found R.G. already dead.
The owner of the house, a lawyer, was said to be on vacation
in Bali , Indonesia
R.G.’s Indian employer, who was often away for work-related
travel, had reportedly told police she was not in Hong Kong at the
time, and was unaware of the helper’s parttime work.
According to one of R.G.’s six grown-up children, they had
been asking their mother to give up her work in Hong Kong
because of her age and health condition, but she refused.
R.G., who had worked in Hong Kong
for 34 years, reportedly had heart surgery a few years back, and was constantly
in pain. Joan told The SUN she had to accompany R.G. to the hospital a couple
of times in the past because of her heart problem.
But R.G. was reportedly adamant about staying, and even
begged her employer to keep signing her work contract, because of the free
medical care she was getting
The deceased reportedly made quite a sum doing parttime
work, including cleaning for a couple of serviced apartments. Much of it was
reportedly sent back home to her family in Quezon City .
But R.G. was often lonely, and would call Joan every few
minutes for a chat. The deceased would also ask her to accompany her on some
part-time work.
“For example, last Oct. 4, I saw more than 100 missed calls
from her,” said Joan.
Early on the day she died, the two of them were together,
and even took a video of them talking and playing with the dogs in the house of
the parttime employer.
Little did Joan know that it was the last time she would see
her friend and mother figure alive.
R.G.’s remains are currently in Victoria Mortuary in Kennedy Town
The Mission
for Migrant Workers is coordinating with the family and the employer on the
timing of the repatriation. – with a
report from Rodelia P. Villar
