Marilyn Restor (45), a devoted mother of four from North Cotabato, Philippines, embodied the unwavering sacrifice of the Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW).

Having worked since childhood and overcome poverty to earn a degree in pharmacy, Marilyn left her family for nearly a decade to work in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as a domestic helper for a wealthy Royal couple.

Her service was impeccable, her remittances steady, funding her children’s education and her ailing mother’s medical expenses.

The Abduction by the Blacklisted Royal

Marilyn’s long years of sacrifice were shattered in July 2014. One evening, as Marilyn stepped out to dispose of the trash, she was allegedly abducted by Princess Jada, a relative of her original Royal employers, accompanied by several men.

Jada, who was known to have employed Marilyn previously, later falsely accused Marilyn of attempting to run away.

The common, yet illegal, practice of “passing” domestic helpers to relatives often traps OFWs with abusive employers who confiscate their passports, leaving them defenseless.

Evidence suggested that Princess Jada and her military husband were blacklisted from using agencies due to their history of abuse toward domestic helpers. Jada and her husband allegedly resorted to abducting OFWs who left their original employers’ homes.

Marilyn’s husband, Arnulfo (also working in Saudi Arabia), immediately reported her missing to the Riyadh police.

When police failed to act, Arnulfo, with the help of his own employer, tracked down Jada’s address.

Arnulfo’s rescue attempt was met with extreme danger: Jada’s husband, a high-ranking Saudi military official, fired upon Arnulfo and his employer before ordering their arrest.

The brutal confrontation forced Arnulfo to seek help from the Philippine Embassy.

The Nine-Month Silence

While Arnulfo and Marilyn’s siblings in the Philippines desperately appealed to the DFA, the Office of the Vice President, and the Office of the President, they received no meaningful response.

The subsequent investigation revealed a devastating nine-month failure by the Philippine Embassy and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Internal documents showed the Embassy was fully aware of Marilyn’s disappearance—and the plight of nine other Filipina domestic helpers who had suffered abuse at the hands of Jada and her husband.

Despite being instructed to rescue Marilyn and the two other helpers known to be held captive, the Embassy repeatedly sent perfunctory letters to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, receiving no substantive response.

The Philippine government was accused by the family of negligence and a failure to act for nine critical months, arguing that their inaction was due to the powerful influence of Marilyn’s abductors.

A Body Found, A Mystery Unsolved

In June 2015, nearly a year after her abduction, Arnulfo received a call from a hospital: Marilyn’s body was there.

Marilyn Restor’s remains had been in the hospital’s morgue for 42 days. Arnulfo identified his wife but was left with a crushing wave of questions: What truly happened? Why was she found in a hospital?

Marilyn’s family immediately suspected foul play, believing she was either assaulted or pushed to her de@th, but the lack of an immediate autopsy and the institutional silence ensured the true cause of her passing remained unclear.

Arnulfo was offered a financial settlement by the Royal family members involved in the abduction, which he vehemently refused, stating that he and his children demanded answers, not money.

Marilyn’s body was finally repatriated to the Philippines in 2015, but the case for justice went cold.

The Lack of Closure

The family’s desperate pursuit of the truth ultimately led them to the media. Marilyn’s sister testified that the initial employer and Jada had been charged with kidnapping, but the legal case against the military husband and Jada effectively vanished.

Migrante International, an OFW rights group, publicly condemned the Philippine government’s “gross negligence” in the case, asserting that the Embassy’s failure to rescue Marilyn while her location was known was unforgivable.

The DFA later issued contradictory statements, denying they had neglected the case while simultaneously admitting that the true cause of Marilyn’s de@th remained uncertain due to the lack of testing.

As of the last report, no justice has been served. The truth about Marilyn Restor’s final months—the abuse she suffered, the circumstances of her passing, and the accountability of the powerful Saudi couple—remains shrouded in institutional silence.

Her story is a devastating symbol of the price paid by OFWs when the system designed to protect them yields to wealth and power.