A domestic worker has been sentenced to jail for conspiring to make a false statement to Singapore's work pass authorities in an attempt to remain in the country after her employment was terminated. The individual, Sotto Jennie Villaron, a 37-year-old Philippine national, received a three-week jail sentence on Monday, September 1, 2025.
The court proceedings revealed that Sotto was working in Singapore as a migrant domestic worker when she began a relationship with a Singaporean man, Faizal Farid, in 2021. In early February 2024, Sotto informed Faizal that her employer at the time intended to terminate her employment. Faced with the prospect of having to return to the Philippines, she asked her boyfriend for assistance.
Sotto specifically requested that Faizal help her obtain a work pass under his name. The purpose of this was to validate her stay in Singapore under the pretense of being his domestic worker, even though she had no actual intention of working in that capacity for him. Faizal Farid agreed to this arrangement.
In March 2024, Sotto signed a declaration form as part of an application for a migrant domestic worker position under Faizal's name. This application contained a false statement regarding her intended employment. Based on this submitted application, a work permit was issued to Sotto.
However, from March 9 to July 2, 2024, Sotto did not perform any duties as a domestic worker for Faizal. Instead, she lived with him at his residence for four to five nights each week in her capacity as his girlfriend. On the remaining nights, she was engaged in unauthorized employment, working as a babysitter at a different location.
The Ministry of Manpower began an investigation into Sotto on July 2, 2024, after receiving information about potential contraventions of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. The prosecution emphasized that had the Controller of Work Passes been aware that Sotto had no intention of working as Faizal's domestic worker, the work permit would not have been issued to her.
The prosecutor sought a jail sentence of approximately four weeks, stating that Sotto had deliberately circumvented Singapore's foreign manpower regulations. By obtaining a work pass under false pretenses, she undermined the integrity of the work pass framework while simultaneously engaging in unauthorized employment with other parties. The prosecution also noted that Sotto was the mastermind of the conspiracy, as she was the one who initiated the entire scheme with the motive of remaining in Singapore with her boyfriend after her previous job ended.
Sotto, who was not represented by legal counsel, attended court with an older woman she described as the mother of her fiance. She addressed the court to apologize for her actions and begged for leniency, expressing a desire to stay and work in Singapore. The judge informed her that he had no control over her future employment status in the country. He allowed her to defer the commencement of her jail sentence for a few days. Faizal Farid faces similar charges for his alleged involvement in the case and is scheduled to enter a plea in October.
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