If you watched last night’s episode of GMA 7’s Imbestigador, you might have seen one of the program’s exposé where a maid was allegedly employed for 15 years without being paid. I happen to know the maid and her employer because they used to be my neighbors (our house was in front of their house). I was even a playmate of the employer’s two sons, and her daughter was a student at the school where I used to teach. (My family and I now live two blocks away from them.)

I realized, after watching the show, how exaggerated programs such as Imbestigador are. Mike Enriquez’s (the show’s host) rhetoric made it look like our old neighbor, Aling Ruth, was a really bad person who treated the maid like a slave. Though there is truth to the allegations made by the maid’s sister (she was the one who sought Imbestigador’s help), they are, as I said, exaggerated:

Sister’s allegation: The maid (codenamed ‘Hilda’) was not paid a single centavo for her services for the past 15 years.
In reality: Hilda herself said that she was being paid, but only at least twice a year.

Sister’s allegation: Hilda was not allowed to go back to her hometown, and could not be located because Aling Ruth’s family was moving from one house to another.

In reality: My mother (yes, my mother) said the maid was able to come to her hometown at least once, but she still returned to her employer’s house afterwards. It was true also that the family was moving from one house to another, but they were in the same area, Bacood, our hometown. Bacood is a really small place, so I am sure the maid’s sister can find Hilda if she had asked around.

My mother once asked the maid why she cannot leave the family she serves. Here response was this: “Naaawa ako sa mga bata.” She loves the children so much that she could not bear to leave, even if she was not being compensated properly.

I am not bashing the show, and I am not defending Aling Ruth and her family. From what I know, they are good individuals, so I was really surprised when I saw them on TV. I am actually happy for ‘Hilda’ for she was able to come home and have 72,000php as settlement money. FYI, it was actually my mother who introduced Hilda to Aling Ruth for her to serve as a house helper, so I guess my mother is partly to be blamed for all this mess. He he. Just kidding. I love my mom. (But it’s true. She really did bring Hilda to Aling Ruth. Hilda was a 'lost soul.')

I also realized how embarrassing it would be to be on that kind of program. I often see Aling Ruth on the street. Now, when I meet her, I have to pretend that I did not see her on TV.