Sarah Balabagan
Sarah Balabagan | |
---|---|
Birth name | Sarah Balabagan |
Born | August 16, 1979 |
Origin | Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao,![]() |
Genres | OPM, Pop music |
Occupation(s) | Singer, Entertainer |
Years active | 1994–present |
Website | Official site |
Sarah Balabagan (pronounced Ba-la-BAH-gan; born August 16, 1979) is a Filipina who was imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates from 1994–1996 for murder. She was initially sentenced to death, but was later extradited to the Philippines. Her story was made into a controversial film in 1997.
Early life
Balabagan grew up in a Muslim community on the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, in the town of Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, Maguindanao. She was the fourth of fourteen children, half of whom died in childhood. She has implied that she was abused by an uncle as a child.[1]
She left to become a domestic worker, lying about her age, and obtained a post in the town of Al Ain in the UAE.
Case
On July 19, 1994, she 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 as well a victim of rape. She was sentenced to seven years imprisonment and ordered to pay 150,000 dirhams (US$40,000) in blood money to al-Baloushi's relatives, while at the same awarded 100,000 dirhams (US$27,000) as compensation for the rape.[2] 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. 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 the Gulf countries, 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 Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan that al-Baloushi's family agreed to drop their execution demand in exchange for blood money.[3] On October 30, at her third trial, her sentence was reduced to a year's imprisonment and 100 strokes of the cane, 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 Seneres said "Balabagan said it was bearable. Embassy officials visited her twice afterward, and there were no marks or bruises or reddening." [4] However, she later said that her injuries were more serious than she said at the time.[5] She returned to the Philippines on August 1, 1996, to a heroine's welcome.
Later life
Shortly after her release, Balabagan embarked on a career as a singer, appearing on a television programme with Geri Halliwell.
In 1998, she became a single parent after a brief relationship with a journalist. In August 2003, she announced her engagement to Russell Vergara. She went on to have two more children. She later converted from Islam to become a Christian.[6][7] She and Vergara later divorced in 2010.[5]
In film
Balabagan's story was dramatised in the 1997 Philippine film The Sarah Balabagan Story. Directed by Joel Lamangan the Tagalog-language film starred Vina Morales 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
- Philippines-United Arab Emirates relations
- Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates
- Rizana Nafeek
- Flor Contemplacion
References
- ↑ Interview with The Jeepney
- ↑ "Amnesty International is concerned about the capital sentence imposed on Sarah Balabagan", September 27, 1995.
- ↑ "Filipina maid sentenced to caning, prison in Emirates", Nando Times, October 30, 1995.
- ↑ "Philippine Maid Gets Symbolic 100 Lashes", Los Angeles Times, February 10, 1996.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 [1] Sarah Balabagan The next chapter
- ↑ "Sarah Balabagan Thanks God, Encourages OFWs with New Album", Pinoy Youth, September 18, 2008.
- ↑ http://globalnation.inquirer.net/mindfeeds/mindfeeds/view/20090408-198517/Sarah-Balabagan-from-Muslim-to-Christian Global Nation article
External links
- Her official website
- Campaign against her death sentence
- She returns to the Philippines
- Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). The Sarah Balabagan Story at IMDb
- Her singing career
- She announces her engagement
- Controversy surrounding the film
- 2009 article
- Manila Times article
- Articles with hCards
- Pages using Template:Infobox musical artist with unknown parameters
- 1979 births
- Living people
- Converts to Protestantism from Islam
- Filipino evangelicals
- Filipino former Muslims
- Filipino Pentecostals
- Filipino female singers
- Filipinos imprisoned abroad
- Filipino prisoners sentenced to death
- Filipinos convicted of murder
- Maids
- Moro
- People convicted of murder by the United Arab Emirates
- People from Sultan Kudarat
- Prisoners sentenced to death by the United Arab Emirates
- Rape in the United Arab Emirates
- Whipping
- Violence against women in the United Arab Emirates
- Incidents of violence against women
- People extradited from the United Arab Emirates
- People extradited to the Philippines