Maid asked boyfriend to hire her on paper so she could stay in Singapore, gets jail

Sotto Jennie Villaron was sentenced to three weeks' jail on Monday (Sep 1). She pleaded guilty to one charge under the EFMA of conspiring with her then boyfriend, Singaporean Faizal Farid, to make a false statement to the Controller of Work Passes in a domestic worker application.

A second charge was taken into consideration during sentencing.

The court heard that Sotto was working as a migrant domestic worker in Singapore when she entered into a relationship with Faizal sometime in 2021.

In early February 2024, Sotto told Faizal that her employer intended to terminate her employment.

"Facing the prospect of having to return to the Philippines, the accused asked Faizal to help her obtain a work pass under his name to validate her stay in Singapore," said a prosecutor from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

Faizal agreed, and although Sotto had no intention of working for her boyfriend as his maid, she signed a declaration form in an application for a migrant domestic worker in March 2024.

After the form was submitted, a work permit was issued to Sotto.

From Mar 9 to Jul 2 last year, Sotto lived with Faizal at his home for four to five nights a week, in her capacity as his girlfriend.

She spent the remaining nights working as a babysitter at a different location. 

During the period of about four months, Sotto did not perform any domestic worker duties for Faizal.

The prosecutor said MOM began investigations into Sotto on Jul 2, 2024, after receiving information about her contraventions of the law.