Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr announced on Monday, October 26, that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has recalled the Philippines’ ambassador to Brazil to explain the maltreatment of her household service staff. 

Locsin said the recall order was “effective immediately.” He did not disclose further details. 

“The Philippine Ambassador to Brazil has been recalled effective immediately to explain the maltreatment of her service staff,” Locsin tweeted.

The Philippines’ current ambassador to Brazil is Marichu Mauro,  who was appointed to the post last February 2018. As ambassador to Brazil, Mauro also has concurrent jurisdiction over Colombia and Venezuela. 

What happened?

In a video report dated Sunday, October 25, Brazilian news outlet GloboNews obtained footage where Mauro appeared to be physically abusing her household help on at least 4 separate occasions. 

On the closed-circuit television videos, Mauro was seen either striking household staff or grabbing the staff by the hair. Because of the blurred faces in the video, it could not be established whether the abuse was committed against just one or different staff. Dates on the CCTV footage listed the incidents taking place in March, August, and twice in October this year.

GloboNews said the events took place inside Mauro’s diplomatic residences. 

In an official statement, the DFA said it ordered Mauro to return to the Philippines after the release of the footage. 

The DFA said the household staff left Brasilia on October 21 and is now back in the Philippines. It gave assurances officials were reaching out to her “to ensure her well-being and cooperation in the investigation.”

“The DFA assures the public that a thorough investigation will be conducted,” it added. 

Mauro, a career diplomat, joined the DFA in 1995 and served as consul general in Milan. She was also previously assigned to Manama, Bahrain; Tel Aviv, Israel; and Brussels, Belgium. – Rappler.com