Lawyer puzzled over his runaway maid issue

KUALA LUMPUR: A lawyer is puzzled how his Filipino maid, Cindy Laguda Lozada, who ran away in February, last year, was able to obtain a new passport and visit pass despite him having the original passport.
Speaking to theSun at his office here, Datuk Rabinder Singh (pix) asked how it was possible for the Philippines Embassy to process the application of an individual who had a police report lodged against her when she ran away and also had the Immigration Department cancel her visit pass.
Rabinder said he was later informed by the maid agency that the "new" documents were legitimate after it checked with the immigration department.
He described this as a serious matter as indirectly it was a national security issue and a threat to the country's sovereignty.
"Imagine if my maid was able obtain these 'new' documents without the proper documentation or proper procedure, how many more foreigners in our country were also able to get such 'legitimate' documents," he said, adding the maid managed to get the new passport and visit pass (temporary work permit) issued to her after paying RM6,500 to a Filipino agent for the documents.
The details in the "new" documents were all the same as in the original documents except for the issuing authority as well as the issuing and validity dates.
He said on learning about it, he lodged another police report requesting further investigation on the matter.
He also lodged official complaints with the Philippines Embassy here, the Philippines President, Secretary of Foreign Affairs from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Commissioner of Bureau of Immigration and the Philippines Overseas Employment Administration. But to-date he has not received any response.
To make matters worse, he said he was later informed by the maid agency and immigration officer investigating the case that Cindy left the country in June while under the custody of the Philippines Embassy.
He is still puzzled how she was able to leave the country without the necessary travel documents and why did the embassy allow her to do so without giving a statement to the Immigration Department.
He said he still has Cindy's original passport and the maid agency has the "new" passport.
He kept her original passport as he hasn't received any response from the embassy regarding the letter he wrote to them a year ago asking what he should do with it as she had run away.
Officials from the embassy and the department were not available for comments.