Sotto Jennie Villaron was working as a domestic helper in Singapore when trouble struck. Her employer wanted to terminate her employment in early February 2024.
The 37-year-old Filipino woman had been in a romantic relationship with Singaporean Faizal bin Farid since 2021. Facing the prospect of returning to the Philippines, she hatched a plan.
Maid Asked Boyfriend to Hire Her on Paper to Stay in Singapore
Sotto asked her boyfriend to help her obtain a work pass under his name. This would validate her stay in Singapore even after her current employment ended.
Faizal agreed to the scheme. On 7 Mar 2024, Sotto signed a declaration form stating she would be employed by Faizal as his domestic helper.
The application was submitted and a work permit was issued to Sotto. But she had no intention of actually working as Faizal’s maid.
From 9 Mar 2024 to 2 Jul 2024, Sotto lived with Faizal at his home for four to five nights each week. She stayed in her capacity as his girlfriend, not as his employee.
During the remaining nights, she worked as a babysitter at a different location. Throughout the four-month period, Sotto never performed any domestic helper duties for Faizal.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) received information about potential contraventions of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act on 2 Jul 2024. Investigations into Sotto began immediately.
Court Proceedings and Three-Week Jail Sentence
Sotto appeared at the State Courts on 1 Sep 2025. She pleaded guilty to one charge under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.
The charge involved conspiring with Faizal to make a false statement to the Controller of Work Passes in a domestic worker application. A second charge for working in Singapore without a valid work permit was taken into consideration during sentencing.
MOM prosecutors argued that Sotto was the mastermind of the conspiracy. She had initiated the scheme and asked Faizal to help her obtain a work permit under false pretences.
The prosecutors sought about four weeks’ jail for Sotto before any reduction for her guilty plea. They argued she had circumvented Singapore’s foreign manpower regulations.
“She undermined the integrity of the work pass framework while engaging in unauthorised employment with other parties,” the prosecutor said.
Had the Controller of Work Passes known that Sotto had no intention to work as Faizal’s maid, the work permit would not have been issued to her.
Sotto was unrepresented in court. She attended the hearing with an older woman whom she described as the mother of her fiancé.
She begged for leniency and apologised for her actions. “I hope you will give me a chance,” Sotto told the judge. “I really like to stay here and work here, your honour. I hope you will give me leniency.”
The judge replied that he had “no control” over whether she could work in Singapore in the future. He said it was not for him to decide.
Sotto was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on 1 Sep 2025. The judge allowed her to defer her sentence for a few days.
Faizal faces similar charges for his alleged involvement in the case. He is set to plead guilty in October and his case remains before the courts.
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