BY ROY C. MABASA
A formal charge has been served to former Philippine Ambassador to Brazil Marichu Mauro for maltreating her Filipina household help at the Ambassador’s residence in Brasilia, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said on Monday.
In a tweet, Locsin said the charge was served to Mauro this morning and a corresponding memorandum on the case was immediately sent to the Office of the President.
Locsin explained that the charge, along with the investigation report of the four-man panel that was constituted to probe Mauro’s case, will be submitted to the DFA’s Board of Foreign Service Administration (BFSA) for its appropriate recommendation.
“Charge served on her at 8:25 a.m. today. I sent a Memo to the President on it. The Hearing Panel’s report and charge will be passed upon and approved/disapproved by the Board of Foreign Service Administration; and finally by the Secretary,” the foreign affairs chief said.
Under Section 51 of R.A. 7157, or the Philippine Foreign Service Act of 1991, the President, as the appointing power of chiefs of mission, will have the final say in the investigation of the case especially if it will involve separation from service.
Locsin assured that the remaining process of Mauro’s case “shouldn’t take too long.”
Earlier, the DFA vowed to impose “severe” punishment on Mauro for physically abusing her 51-year-old housemaid as shown on the leaked CCTV video footage aired by the Brazilian media outfit, GloboNews.
Meanwhile, several OFWs in Italy have expressed their support to Mauro by calling on the government in Manila to accord the diplomat with “fair treatment” and put into consideration her “good record” in the process of ferreting out the truth in her case.
Mauro served as consul general to Milan from 2014 to 2018.
