Pinoy ma’s tale of protecting kids from drug-using husband

Mai

ANOTHER Filipino mother has transferred the custody of her children to her parent after she learned that her husband had been engaging in illegal vices and drugs.

Mai, a 36-year-old mother of three and who is working as a domestic helper in the city, told Hong Kong News that the Office of the Social Welfare Attache at the Philippine Consulate General, helped her arrange the transfer of custody of her kids.

When Mai came to Hong Kong, she entrusted the care of her three children to her husband. They were living in Negros Occidental.

She only had one plea to her husband, and that was to stay away from illegal drugs.

“Nangako siya sa akin na hindi na niya gagawin iyon. Kasi tapos na daw siya doon,” Mai said.

But in 2015, she had began hearing stories about her husband, who had no regular job.

When Mai came home in Negros Occidental for vacation in August2015, she heard stories from her two elder children themselves, aged 11 and nine, about their father and his friends locking themselves in their house’s toilet.

“Nakita daw nila ang tatay nila na kasama ang barkada nito sa kubeta at may nakita silang foil na sabi nila ‘kagaya ng dala mo na pang-cover ng pagkain’,” Mai said.

With her children’s stories, the Filipina said she could no longer ignore that her husband had committed the one thing she asked him not to do.

Upon her return to Hong Kong, her husband had restricted her communication access to her children. In October and November 2015, Mai said she sent money not to her husband, but to her sister-in-law.

Although she wanted to keep her family intact, she said she decided to take her children from her husband after her kids asked her to take them from their dad.

Mai said she told her employer that she wanted to go home to the Philippines to take care of her children.

Her employer, however, convinced her to keep working in Hong Kong especially that she would be needing money to provide for her kids.

The employer allowed Mai to go to the Philippines.

On December 7, 2015 she had gone home to Negros Occidental without telling anyone about it.

“Shocked [ang mga anak ko noong makita nila ako] at shocked din ako noong makita ko silang payatot, super itim, super dungis, at madaming sugat sa katawan na alam mong matagal na pinabayaan,” Mai said.

With the help of her uncle, and hiring a private van, she then took her three children to her parents place in General Santos City.

Her husband and his family had threatened to file a kidnapping case against her, despite Mai telling them not to worry because her kids were with her.

On December 27, 2015, Mai left her children to her mother, Maria, and returned to Hong Kong.

Before coming back to Hong Kong, Mai had transferred her children to a school in GenSan.

However, on January 5, 2016, Mai’s husband, mother-in-law, a police officer, and three staff members of the Department of Social Welfare and Development went to the place of Mai’s parents in GenSan.

While the two elder children refused to go with their father, the youngest agreed to be “borrowed” for a while.

The family of her husband promised to bring back the boy the following day as they were staying in a hotel in GenSan.

At around 8 p.m., the boy was returned to Mai’s parents, but an hour after, Mai’s husband and mother-in-law asked the boy to go with them again, and promised to bring him back.

This time, however, the boy was not returned and Mai found out that he was taken to Negros Occidental. It took months for Mai to trace the whereabouts her youngest child.

Mai said she then sought the help of Social Welfare Attaché Elizabeth Lim-Dy, who forwarded Mai’s letter to the Municipal Social Welfare Development Officer in Murcia, Negros Occidental.

Following evaluation, and Mai’s effort to take back her son, the boy’s custody was transferred to her mother in GenSan.

“Sa ngayon, nag-aaral ang mga bata at nag-iipon naman ako dito. Hindi ko naman inaalisan ang tatay nila ng karapatan niya sa kanila.

“Nakakadalaw naman siya sa mga anak niya at sana sa mga ganitong panahon mapag-isipan na ayusin ang buhay niya,” she added.