Ruffa Gutierrez loses in labor complaint filed by former house helpers

Ruffa Gutierrez has reportedly lost in the labor complaint filed by two of her former house help who claimed to have been fired by the actress without giving their salaries, according to P3PWD Party-List Rep. Rowena Guanzon.

On Twitter last April 1, Guanzon thanked those who helped in the case of the two women from Negros Occidental who sought her assistance in the labor complaint filed against Gutierrez, with a video message to the actress to settle the case.

“Maging leksyon ito sa mga amo na ituring naman pong tao na may damdamin yung mga kasambahay ninyo. Sana po ay maayos na ito. Nananawagan ako kay Ruffa Gutierrez na ayusin na niya ito, i-settle na nya. Ang gusto lang naman ng mga kasambahay na ito ay makapagtrabaho ng maayos, at ituring ng maayos,” the party-list congresswoman said in the video.

“Kakampi ako ng mga inaapi, ng mga walang kalaban laban. Mga kaibigan, nanalo sa labor case ang dalawang kasambahay lanan kay Ruffa G. #p3pwdatyourservice,” she added.

Salamat sa lahat na tumulong sa dalaqang kasambahay na taga Negros Occidental lalo na sa mga abogado #p3pwdatyourservice pic.twitter.com/VHCNxaPmRR

— Rowena Guanzon (@rowena_guanzon) April 2, 2023

Kakampi ako ng mga inaapi,ng mga walang kalaban laban. Mga kaibigan, nanalo sa labor case ang dalawang kasambahay lanan kay Ruff G. #p3pwdatyourservice

— Rowena Guanzon (@rowena_guanzon) April 2, 2023

The case stemmed from the complaint lodged by Gutierrez’s maids before the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) in July 2022, claiming that they were fired by the seasoned actress from her Ayala Alabang home without giving their salaries.

Guanzon first made public the case filed by the house helpers when she shared a screenshot of the “Notice of Conference” addressed to the “Maid in Malacañang” star on social media, despite her legal counsel dismissing the claims as “black propaganda.”

TV personality Ogie Diaz also shared on his Showbiz Update vlog, which was uploaded on his YouTube channel last Friday, March 31, a photo of the decision from the labor commission under the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) dated September 2022.

Diaz also noted that the court ordered Gutierrez and her house helpers to come up with a compromise, but to no avail. He also added that Gutierrez’s camp did not file an appeal to the decision, as she was ordered to pay an aggregate amount of P13,299.92, as well as unpaid wages and pro-rated 13th month pay within 10 days,

“Nanalo ‘yung dalawang kasambahay na pinaalis ni Ruffa Gutierrez sa kanyang Alabang house at nandoon ‘yung dalawa sa gate ng Ayala Alabang village. Noong September 2022 ay sinubukang pag-ayusin sina Ruffa at ang dalawang kasambahay pero parehong ayaw ng compromise kaya tinuloy ang kaso,” he said.

(The two former house helpers, who were kicked out by Gutierrez from her Ayala Alabang home, won the case. The [NLRC] ordered Gutierrez and the house help to reach a mutual compromise, but neither agreed to it. This is why the case continued.)

“Kilala ko naman si Ruffa. In fairness, mabait naman ang batang ‘yan. Ilang beses na kaming nagkakausap niyan at nakikita kong mabait si Ruffa pero siyempre, hindi naman ako ‘yung naging kasambahay. Sila ‘yung merong experience o kuwento about Ruffa at ngayon ay nabigyan ng pansin ng DOLE,” he pointed out.

“And I’m sure si Ruffa ay tutugon [naman] sa desisyon na ito at maliit na bagay at maliit na halaga para hindi tuparin ni Ruffa ang kanyang obligasyon doon sa dalawang kasambahay,” he further added.

(I know Ruffa. In fairness, she’s a kind person. We’ve talked to each other in multiple encounters and I see that she’s kind. But at the end of the day, I’m not her house help. They are the ones who experienced the mistreatment and it was brought to light by DOLE. And I’m sure Ruffa would respond to the decision since the fees are considered to be small for her. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if she fulfills her fine.)

The talent manager also hoped that the labor complaint would serve as a lesson to Gutierrez to treat her house helpers better.

“Sana matapos na ito. At the end of the day, siguro gusto lang patunayan nang dalawang kasambahay na hindi totoo ‘yung mga ibinibintang sa kanila noong sila’y napalayas sa bahay nina Ruffa. [Para rin] nakakahinga na sila ng maluwag sa iisipin ng tao na sila’y may kasalanan o nagnakaw sa bahay ni Ruffa,” he said. (I hope the issue ends because at the end of the day, Gutierrez’s house helpers just want to prove a point. They deserve to live peacefully, without being accused of robbing from the actress.)

“Lesson na rin ito sa lahat maging sa akin na ang pag-trato sa mga kasambahay ay para ring kapamilya. At siyempre, sa mga kasambahay kapag itinuring kayong kapamilya, patunayan ninyo na kahit hindi kayo magkadugo, alam ninyong maasahan kayo ng inyong mga employer sa lahat ng bagay lalo na ang tiwala huwag ninyong sasayangin,” he further added. (It’s a lesson for us to treat our house helpers as if they are our own family. Of course, house helpers should prove that they’re worthy of their employers’s trust too.)

Gutierrez and her legal team have yet to respond to the reports, as of this writing. EDV

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