ANNABELLE RAMA got the surprise of her life when she got a call from Raffy Tulfo a few days ago saying her ex-driver is in his radio show complaining that Annabelle has not paid his wages. “Ayoko sanang patulan kasi adik-adik yung driver kong yun, bale nang bale sa’kin ng suweldo at nang hindi ko pinagbigyan sa ina-advance niya, nagpunta kay Tulfo at binaligtad ang kuwento niya,” she says when we had dinner with her at Gloria Maris a few nights ago. “Pero sabi ng mga tauhan ni Tulfo, pa-interview na kayo para malinis ang pangalan nyo, kaya pinagbigyan ko sila. I was interviewed sa phone at nandun sa studio yung driver. Sabi ko, lahat ng drivers ko, bayad. Yan, naga-advance yan lagi. Nang hindi ko pagbigyan, binaligtad ako sa inyo. Kinukuwestiyon siya ni Tulfo, e paiba-iba ang statements niya, so nainis sa kanya at pinaalis na lang siya. Grabe ang sad experiences ko sa mga nagtatrabaho sa’kin lately. Yung isang maid kong matagal na sa’kin, ninakaw yung 700 dollars sa wallet ni Richard. Sabi ko, ikaw lang ang allowed na pumasok sa kuwarto nina Richard kaya ikaw sigurado ang kumuha. Noong una, ayaw pang umamin, pero nang sabi ko, tatawag ako ng pulis, umamin din. Awasin ko na lang daw sa suweldo niya. E, P10,000 na siya a month sa akin, e, nagnakaw pa. Pinakahuli, yung P.A. ko (production assistant), si Jet Gonzales, kilala nyo yan dahil lagi kong kasama pag magdi-dinner tayo. Two weeks ago, binayaran si Ruffa ng Cosmo Skin for her endorsement, P100,000, cash. Sabi ko, Jet, i-deposit mo nga sa account ni Ruffa. Kasi wala si Ruffa, nasa Ibiza sa Spain. 8 days later, bumalik si Ruffa, chineck ang bank account niya, walang pumasok na P100,000. Ang pagkakamali ko, hindi ko na hiningi yung deposit slip kay Jet kasi tiwala na nga ako sa kanya. O ngayon, nagtatago na. Nag-file na ako ng reklamo against him and I warn all my contacts that he’s no longer connected to our company, Royale Era. Ang hirap, kahit anong bait mo sa kanila, nanakawan ka pa.”
We can sympathize with Annabelle as we ourselves have become a victim of “mandurugas” housemaids. One helper got P10,000 cash from our room and when she was fired, we didn’t know she got the credit card of our daughter when she left and was able to use it in various outlets, with purchases amounting to P40,000. Then, another maid stole the diamond earrings of our daughter worth P100,000 before she left ostensibly for a vacation in her home province. We even gave her P5,000 as baon for her family, without us knowing she has no intention of returning to us anymore as she has stolen our daughter’s earrings. So, beware! These days, it’s really hard to trust helpers you don’t really know much about.
