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| Vame (right) recalls her ordeal in an interview while comforted by Johannie Tong, a social worker from the Mission for Migrant Workers |
Not a few people were touched by the story of Filipina domestic worker Vame Mariz Verador, who lost her job nine days after going through the most horrific ordeal during the Nov 26 fire in Tai Po.
After carrying her terrified two-year-old ward down
17 storeys to safety, she went back into the burning building to save the
toddler’s grandmother.
Until now, Vame still tears up recalling
the horror of fleeing the burning building, then rushing back in amid the fiery
debris to save the elderly lady.
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But she was hurt even more when her recruitment agency
informed her on Dec. 5 that her employer had decided to terminate their
contract because of financial concerns.
Luckily, the
Mission for Migrant Workers was there to help. The charity organization
immediately put her up at its shelter, the Bethune House Migrant Women’s
Refuge, and arranged for her regular physiotherapy and counseling sessions.
But more unexpected help came. As stories of her
bravery spread on the internet, a number of Hong Kong residents began calling
up the Mission to offer her employment.
According to Bethune House executive director Edwina
Antonio, they have received at least 20 such job offers so far.
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“But we are holding off because of course, we need
to know their background, and whether they will be a good fit for Vame,” said
Antonio.
Astonishingly even Hong Kong’s Labour Department has
contacted Vame to inform her that an employer wanted to hire her.
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| Vame and other fire survivors joined mourners at the funeral rites for Maryan |
“Nagulat nga po ako,” (I was taken by surprise) Vame said about the unprecedented offer last Friday, during the wake of the lone Filipino fatality in the fire, Maryan Esteban.
But Vame said it was not the first time that
somebody from Labour had reached out to her.
“Lagi nilang tinatanong kung kumusta ako at
kung may tulong daw ba akong kailangan ,” she said. (They often ask how I am
doing and if there is anything I needed help with).
Though grateful for the job offers that continue to
pour in, the mother of four said she does not think she is already fit to go
back to work, saying her back still hurts a lot. She also needs to get more counseling
to help her overcome the trauma of her near-brush with death.
But as always, her family, especially her children,
remains as her biggest concern, so she is not closing the door to signing up
for another contract. Just not yet.
For now, Vame is subsisting from help, mainly from
the Mission and Bethune House, but also from a number of private donors who
were moved by her story.
Along with 110 other FDWs employed at Wang Fuk House,
Vame also stands to receive a special subsidy of $20,000 from the Hong Kong
government, and a promised $2,000 in Octopus credit.
She will also have at least three months to decide
on whether she should remain in Hong Kong to work, or go back home to be with
her family, in line with the Immigration Department’s recent decision to relax
its rules to benefit the fire victims.
