Yaya from Hell - Part 2

It seems that being victimized by a wicked individual becomes doubly upsetting when you hear news that the same awful person was able to maltreat someone else. This is further magnified when children are involved. I hope you can all take a moment to read about my distressing (yet in some ways, fortuitous) experience, and how the situation has turned out since. Pardon the length of this email but reading through it could help protect the welfare of your child.

Who would have thought that a woman named GEMMA MACARAIG LALANTACON (also known as “Gie”) would actually become – to some extent – an advocacy for me. She came to us supposedly as an experienced nanny (“yaya”) with stories of how she was the long-time, trusted nanny of the granddaughter of one of the most prominent Filipino-Chinese tycoons in the country. Admittedly, we were impressed by the rouse: this woman had a practiced way with words, and fairly convincing. Sadly, after eight months, we found out that she was indeed a “yaya from hell”.

While on a family vacation, I witnessed with my own two eyes how she physically abused my 4 year old son (of course I saw this when she thought I was not looking). After a thorough investigation, my husband and I discovered that she had been doing this ever since she became employed, strategically choosing areas of the body that would not leave any visible marks. Moreover, she would lock our son in the bathroom with no lights on, and verbally insult him. Our other household help, it seemed, were terrified of her as well.

After firing her, I sent out a very detailed account of my experience via email. I struggled with myself for weeks before doing this, but eventually I figured that if I could help warn others about this potential threat to their children, it would be worth it. As the email circulated, the first interesting thing happened: it reached the daughter of the Filipino-Chinese tycoon (whose child Gemma supposedly “raised”, and where she was considered a “part of the family” for years) and she told me that Gemma had in fact only worked for her for six months. She was fired on the spot because she got caught physically maltreating the child. Complaints were lodged at the agency, and in fact they confirmed that Gemma’s next employer likewise fired her for child abuse.

After some time, I was horrified to learn that yet another employer (who apparently did not receive my email) had sent a similar mass warning (via email and facebook) about Gemma. With permission, here is her exact message:

Hi Doris,


My name is Carol Jorge. We are victims of GEMMA, THE YAYA FROM HELL! Attached is my warning to all mommys which i wrote just this afternoon and started to send out now. Just minutes ago, one of my friends forwarded an email that you had circulated a long time ago. I am shocked to see the same face!!!! Too bad your email never reached me. I feel for you and your child. I hope he is not traumatized as my sons are now.


Is it ok to ask you for your cel number? or you may call me at 0917-XXXXXXX.


Thanks,
Carol

From: Carol Jorge <carol_jorge@xxx.xxx>
Date: January 8, 2009 12:48:49 PM GMT+08:00
To: All Contacts
Subject: IMG_3957.JPG

WARNING TO ALL MOMMYS!!!

I just want you to beware of a yaya (picture attached), who goes by the name of GEMMA MACARAIG, 42 years old. We fired her because she hurt my 5-yr old son, Ronin, and left bruises on his body.

But there's more. Let me also warn you that she presents herself as one who provides helpers but will also say that she will allow herself to be hired temporarily. Little did we know that this was her Modus Operandi. Since she is running somthing like an agency illegally (no business license, no taxes, nor rent), the only way she could get recruits is to either get hired temporarily (example 1 week) or send sombody into any household for the main purpose of recruiting helpers. In that 1 week that she worked for us, she had already sought to recruit all our houshold help, as well as my parent's and in-laws' and bruised our son's ribs in the process.

So beware and please pass this message to your friends and relatives.
Carol Jorge


This had gone too far. By coincidence, this lady was a friend of both my sisters-in-law, so we got in touch with each other soon thereafter. With renewed enthusiasm, I found out the following details:

· Gemma now moonlights as a self-styled “placement agency”. Her modus operandi is to “pirate” all her fellow employees in whichever household she finds herself in, promising them a higher salary.

· She got into this scheme immediately after working for me. She actually had flyers made advertising her services, much to the consternation of her then-employer. This family, after growing tired of Gemma’s sideline and suspecting her activity as a prelude to criminal intentions, one day found that Gemma had disappeared without a trace.

· Even when she was employed by me, Gemma has a confirmed habit of making her fellow helpers (specifically those who came before her) fight one another by sowing intrigue. This is in the hope of the employer eventually firing the warring parties, leaving Gemma the last person standing. She then recommends replacements, whom she now understandably has “power” over. Very, very devious operation indeed.

· If and when she gets caught red-handed, she will say that the child hit her first.

Joined by a growing number of concerned parents, I would therefore like to repeat my warning: please, PLEASE be wary of hiring this woman. We are taking the necessary legal steps in order to stop her cycle of abuse, but we are worried that she might just “charm” her way into another household and end up physically maltreating yet another innocent child. For reference, I am again including a recent picture of GEMMA MACARAIG LALANTACON.




GEMMA/GIE MACARAIG LALANTACON - Photo taken in Baguio (December 2008) provided by Carol...also a mother, whose son was victimized by this Yaya from Hell.