Blacklist maid: Catherine Vizco Padillo 0 2498035 (Singapore)

Name: Catherine Vizco Padillo
Date of Birth: 4, July Protected content
Work Permit No: Protected content
FIN No: G Protected content
Passport No: EB Protected content

Foreign Domestic Worker’s conduct:

Murder Threats:
The maid insisted I pay for her taxi fares for her personal use during her rest day on Sunday Nov Protected content , she also added that she is just trying her luck as most of her friends say she is not entitled to such a thing. When I returned home from work on the following day, the FDW spoke to me of the recent Tampines murder of the maid killing the employer’s child, and added this is all because the employer was not good to the FDW. She further continued that there was also a case where a Filipino maid drowned the employer’s 2 young kids “by mistake.” I have 2 young kids aged 2 and 5 and it was an insinuated threat.

Potential “Killer Littering” by willful Negligence:
On November 19, Protected content called home to check on my children. My older child picked up the phone and say “the auntie told me to watch TV and be quiet.”
That night when I returned home this FDW lied to me that it was my older child that threw out the toys, however I learnt from my older child that it was actually the younger one, and whilst my younger child was throwing those toys out she was in the same room and did not stop him, she just watched him. When I asked the maid what she was doing during the time the toys were thrown out, she lied she was “showering the younger child.”

A few days later I received a letter from management mentioning that one of the toys (a metal train) almost hit a 5 year old girl’s head on the first floor and there was a picture of all the toys that were thrown out. I was horrified at the number of and the size of toys that were thrown out as that many toys to be thrown out would have taken a very long time, it’s not a matter of a 5 minute shower as the maid indicates. I suspect there was a foul play involved in this and I went to file a police report. Later I took the maid and went downstairs to apologise to the neighbour, instead of apologizing the maid retorted back to the neighbour that she was showering my younger son. To which the neighbour said, the toys flew out every hour on multiple occasions (which justifies the amount) and rheutorically asked the maid “do you shower the child every hour?” Her lie was uncovered by the neighbour testimony and hence my suspicion of willful negligence still persists. When I went home I asked the maid, why she did not apologise properly, to which she retorted “what do you want me to do, kneel down?” A metal train had nearly hit a 5 year old girl’s head on the ground floor, if she was hit by this she would have died instantaneously, and this maid feels no remorse or repentence…is this even human? This is inhumane behavior, and moreover endangering the neighbourhood peace and safety. It is beyond belief that she can call herself a Catholic.

Death and Runnaway Threats:
I was told on Dec Protected content , that the maid’s mother is severely ill and cannot take care of her children (who are 20, 19, and 11 year old all very self sufficient ages) she needs to go back immediately. I offered to send her back and wait for her until she returns. She has advised us that she does not intend to return to Singapore again to work (which is a complete lie).

Despite the fact that she has received an advanced salary all the way until the end of December Protected content , within one week I booked her a flight home on the 26 December, Protected content . When I communicated this flight booking, she started screaming shouting and kicking, demanding why is the flight not booked before Christmas and threatened us that she CAN and WILL runaway. She further continued shouting that she will kill herself and be sent back to the Philippines dead or alive. I told her she has to leave my house and be sent to the agency’s dormitory as her shouting rage is scaring my young kids; she refused to leave and threatened us that she will kill herself in our home.

To resolve this unreasonable and unruly behavior, my husband told her to pack her bags so we can go to the airport. Upon reaching the airport the Airline counter was closed and the maid started throwing another fit, shouting and screaming creating a public nuisance until 2 police officers came to escort her. My husband rebooked the flight and the FDW was taken into police custody until the flight took off. We have received a call from the police officer around 6pm notifying us that the maid has boarded the plane.

Although actual criminal offences were not committed in Singapore, this FDW’s manipulative and calculated behavior is a psychological abuse to the employer. Knowing that we are both working parents in Singapore (without our parents to overlook the FDW) she has taken the full advantage by threats against us using our beloved children, our situation in entirety. We have given her 8 months worth of advance salary as per her demand (until end of December), and also within only 6 months of joining us she demanded that we pay for her flight back to the Philippines and take 3 days off from our work so she can attend her daughter’s graduation ceremony, out of goodwill we have given her this.
Instead of returning our goodwill with gratitude, the maid escalated into manipulative behavior of threatening us, and abuse our family psychologically.

On one occasion she lost our 2 year old son, leaving him to wander around all by himself, luckily he was found by my husband who quickly took him home. It took her 1 hour to notice that my child went missing and then she called me. I told her that that my child is home already, to which she screamed at my husband asking him why he did not call her to tell her this. Since when does my husband start to report to maid? How can one neglect their job and blame others? My husband was the one that rescue my poor child who could have wandered out on the streets where there is a huge traffick of cars. To all the parents out there, how can we live and work in peace when our beloved children are in the hands of such an irresponsible, manipulative, heartless person? As a parent this is the most excruciating thing, we hire helpers to help us, not to be psychologically abused and threatened by them.

The amount of grief this maid has caused me was colossal, I could not concentrate at work (as I worry for my children), and could not eat or sleep properly. My children were also traumatised by her shouting outrage on the day of her departure and they are terrified of her. I am very glad that we have repatriated her back to the Philippines on 14 December Protected content per her wish) but just as she was leaving she have the nerve to tell my husband not to blacklist her as she is coming back to Singapore to work in 2 months time.

Potential employers:

Please be careful and do not hire this maid if you do not want to invite trouble to your house, she will manipulate you and your family and ask for money that is outside her salary scope like a blood sucking leech and disrupt the peace and harmony in your home. She will cause you more grief than help. She will always start with “my previous employer paid for this and that…and gave me free cash.” She will take advantage of the situation where both parents work and threaten you using your children as a mental hostage situation.

From my terrifying experiences I have shared I hope I can help and prevent other families with similar situations as us from being psychologically abused. I sincerely hope this FDW can be blacklisted for a safe Singapore.