A domestic helper accused of mixing her menstrual blood and urine into her former employer’s food claimed trial on Monday (23 August), with her male employer testifying that he had received messages from her ex-boyfriend allegedly alerting him to the incidents.

Canares Rowena Ola, a 44-year-old Filipina, however, denied ever committing the offences and claimed through her lawyer that she had lied to her ex-boyfriend about the disgusting acts.

She claimed trial to one count of mischief.

The male employer, who took the stand as the first prosecution witness on Monday, was unable to pinpoint the date or time that the acts were allegedly committed, as the food was consumed long before the police report was made in December 2019.

The software engineer cannot be named due to a gag order protecting his identity. The prosecution applied for the gag order due to the nature of the crime, which might cause embarrassment to the alleged victim or his family.

The court heard from the male employer that the family employed Canares in May 2017. The family had no complaints with regard to her performance until the alleged incident came to light. She stayed in her own room within the flat, which she shared with the man, his wife, their two young children, and the man’s mother in law.

Canares was tasked to care of her employer’s children, and to cook the family’s three meals. She was free to buy any ingredients she wanted, and would at times cook her own food, while cooking separately for the family.

Asked by the prosecution why he decided to lodge a complaint, the man said that around 11.14pm on 15 December 2019, he received a message from an unknown number. He recognised the man in the display picture as the maid’s ex-boyfriend, as Canares had shown him his picture before.

“He sent messages saying that she put menstrual blood and urine in the family’s food. Then I was shocked, he sent a message to both me and my wife," he said.

The ex-boyfriend has since died.

As it was late, the man did not confront Canares, but went to the police station to lodge a complaint. About an hour or two later, two police officers arrived at his house to investigate the matter. The officers woke Canares to speak to her.

“At one point of time she mentioned that she did it…I heard she had done it, mixing these two things into our food, and she said ‘sorry’ many times to me and my wife,” he added.

One or two days later, the man said that he and his wife questioned the maid on why and how she mixed her menstrual blood and urine into their food. He was, however, unable to get specific details.

He also asked if she would do the same thing to her own children, and she said “no sir, no sir”.

He ended up throwing his and his wife lunch boxes away, as well as some utensils.

While she was under investigation, Canares was no longer made to do chores, but continued staying with the man as the man could not find her alternative living arrangements, despite approaching the Philippines Embassy. Asked why he did so, the man said he was “scared” that she was in his residence.

“I was hoping that they can do something about her stay. Either in Singapore or somewhere else, I was hoping that she was out of my house as soon as possible.” (Yahoo News)

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