Sarah Balabagan-Sereno
(born March 8, 1979) is a
Filipina
Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or other ...
who was imprisoned in the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...
from 1994 to 1996 for murder. She was initially sentenced to death, but was later returned to the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. Her story was made
into a film in 1997.
Early life
Balabagan grew up in a poor
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
family in
Sultan Kudarat
Sultan Kudarat, officially the Province of Sultan Kudarat ( hil, Kapuoran sang Sultan Kudarat; Maguindanaon: ''Dairat nu Sultan Kudarat'', Jawi: دايرت نو سلطان كودرت; ceb, Lalawigan sa Sultan Kudarat; tl, Lalawigan ng Sul ...
, Maguindanao in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. She had 13 brothers and sisters but only six survived. Her siblings died due to disease and because of her family's financial constraints, which prevented them from availing adequate medical care. She worked for relatives at a young age to support her studies. She only managed to reach the fifth grade.
She has implied that she was abused by an uncle as a child.
Employment
At age 14, Balabagan decided to work abroad. Her recruiter listed her age as 28 and managed to secure a job for her. She learnt of this falsification only when she was already on her flight to the United Arab Emirates. She was tasked by contract to work for a 67-year-old widower with four sons. Balabagan was anxious of the employment and convinced herself that her employers would respect her since she and they were Muslims.
This was later proven to be false, as Balabagan became a subject of unsolicited sexual advances.
Case
On July 19, 1994, Balabagan killed her employer, Almas Mohammed al-Baloushi, stabbing him 34 times. She alleged that he had tried to rape her, and that she was acting in self-defence.
On June 26, 1995, a court ruled that she was guilty of
manslaughter
Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...
as well as a victim of rape. She was sentenced to seven years imprisonment and ordered to pay 150,000
dirhams
The dirham, dirhem or dirhm ( ar, درهم) is a silver unit of currency historically and currently used by several Arab and Arab influenced states. The term has also been used as a related unit of mass.
Unit of mass
The dirham was a un ...
() in
blood money
Blood money may refer to:
* Blood money (restitution), money paid to the family of a murder victim
Films
* Blood Money (1917 film), ''Blood Money'' (1917 film), a film starring Harry Carey
* Blood Money (1921 film), ''Blood Money'' (1921 film ...
to al-Baloushi's relatives, while at the same time awarded 100,000 dirhams (US$27,000) as compensation for the rape. However, the prosecution appealed the verdict, calling for the death penalty. On September 6, 1995, a second Islamic court found no evidence of rape and convicted her of premeditated murder, sentencing her to death by
firing squad
Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are ...
. There was an international outcry and a defense campaign in several countries, as her case was seen as symbolising the ill-treatment of domestic servants in
Arab states of the Persian Gulf
The Arab states of the Persian Gulf refers to a group of Arab states which border the Persian Gulf. There are seven member states of the Arab League in the region: Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emir ...
, and just a few months earlier there had been the rather similar case of
Flor Contemplación, a Filipina domestic worker who was hanged in Singapore that March.
Reportedly, it was only after a personal appeal for mercy by
President of the United Arab Emirates
The president of the United Arab Emirates, or the Raʾīs ( ar, رَئِيْس), is the head of state of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The president and vice-president are elected every five years by the Federal Supreme Council. Though the ...
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ( ar, زَايِد بِن سُلْطَان آل نَهْيَان, Zāyed bin Sulṭān Āl Nahyān; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati politician, statesman, and philanthropist who served as ...
that al-Baloushi's family agreed to drop their execution demand in exchange for blood money. On October 30, at her third trial, her sentence was reduced to a year's imprisonment and 100 strokes of the
cane
Cane or caning may refer to:
*Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking
* Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance
*White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are ...
, along with payment of blood money, which was donated by a Filipino businessman. She was caned in 20 strokes at a time over five days spanning January 30 – February 5, 1996. Philippine Ambassador
Roy Señeres
Roy Villareal Señeres (July 6, 1947 – February 8, 2016) was a Filipino politician and diplomat who initially ran in the 2016 Philippine presidential election under the Partido ng Manggagawa at Magsasaka party before withdrawing on February ...
said "Balabagan said it was bearable. Embassy officials visited her twice afterward, and there were no marks or bruises or reddening." However, she later said that her injuries were more serious than she said at the time.
She returned to the Philippines on August 1, 1996, to a hero's welcome.
Later life
Shortly after her release, Balabagan embarked on a career as a singer, appearing on a television program with
Geri Halliwell
Geraldine Estelle Horner (née Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, author, and actress. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls. With over 100 million records ...
. In 1998, she became a single parent after a brief relationship. In August 2003, she married Russell Vergara. She went on to have two more children. She later converted from Islam to
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
after being introduced to a pastor by a Christian singer, Dulce Amor.
She and Vergara divorced in 2010.
[
In 2013, she married Jun Sereno, and they have a child.][ As of 2018, she lives in ]Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...
with her husband and five children.
In August 2020, Balabagan confirmed that the father of her first-born child is the journalist Arnold Clavio, who exclusively covered her murder case, and revealed that their relationship happened when she was 17 years old. She explained that her revelation was not out of vengeance, but to merely put an end to rumors. She also added that she apologized to "everyone she hurt", including her family and the family of Clavio, and that Clavio's wife has expressed forgiveness, via a messaging app.
In film
Balabagan's story was dramatised in the 1997 Philippine film '' The Sarah Balabagan Story''. Directed by Joel Lamangan
Joel Lamangan (born September 21, 1952) is a Filipino film director, television director and actor. His award-winning films includes ''The Flor Contemplacion Story'', ''Sidhi'', '' Deathrow'', ''Hubog'', '' Aishte Imasu 1941'', ''Blue Moon'' an ...
the Filipino language
Filipino (; , ) is an Austronesian language. It is the national language ( / ) of the Philippines, and one of the two official languages of the country, with English. It is a standardized variety of Tagalog based on the native dialect, spok ...
film starred Vina Morales
Sharon Garcia Magdayao (born October 17, 1975), known by her stage name Vina Morales (), is a Filipino singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur and model. Dubbed as the “''Ultimate Performer''” by various media outlets, she has won 2 Awit ...
in the title role which was initially offered to Balabagan herself but had declined. The government of the Philippines made several attempts to prevent the film from being shown lest it damage bilateral relations with the United Arab Emirates, and its release was delayed for several months.
See also
*Overseas Filipinos
An overseas Filipino ( fil, Pilipino sa ibayong-dagat) is a person of full or partial Filipino origin—i.e., people who trace back their ancestry to the Philippines but living or residing outside the country. This term generally applies to ...
* Philippines–United Arab Emirates relations
* Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates
*Flor Contemplacion
Flor Ramos Contemplacion (January 7, 1953 – March 17, 1995) was a Filipina domestic worker executed in Singapore for murder. Her execution severely strained relations between Singapore and the Philippines, and caused many Filipinos to ven ...
References
External links
Her official website
*
2009 article
Manila Times article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balabagan, Sarah
1979 births
Living people
Filipino migrant workers
Converts to Protestantism from Islam
Filipino evangelicals
Filipino former Muslims
Filipino Pentecostals
Filipinos imprisoned abroad
Filipino prisoners sentenced to death
Filipinos convicted of murder
Filipino domestic workers
People convicted of murder by the United Arab Emirates
People from Sultan Kudarat
Prisoners sentenced to death by the United Arab Emirates
Violence against women in the United Arab Emirates
Filipino expatriates in the United Arab Emirates
Whipping
Maids
21st-century Filipino singers
21st-century Filipino women singers
Child sexual abuse in the Philippines