Beware of the possible consequences of being a loan guarantor.

A Filipina nurse working in Saudi Arabia has been detained for unpaid loan of a Filipina friend she helped by acting as a loan guarantor.

Gerlie Rubrico, 35, of Batad, Iloilo could face jail time of up to two years if, as a loan guarantor, she fails to pay the debt after her friend who reportedly borrowed SAR330,000 from a Saudi doctor has already left the country.

The loan’s equivalent amount in Philippine currency at prevailing exchange rate is P4.17 million.

Rubrico has been in detention at the Al–Malaz prison in Riyadh since Dec. 28, 2015 upon the complaint of Dr. Huda Al Abbad, her colleague in one of the hospitals at the King Fahad Medical City – the largest medical facility in Saudi Arabia.

According to Rubrico’s brother Jerry, Al Abbad wants his sister to pay for the loan that a certain Mariwasa Ulandang borrowed. Jerry said her sister acted as guarantor when Ulandang loaned the amount in 2013.

However, Ulandang, an undocumented worker, was deported later that year amid the government’s implementation of ‘Saudization’ policy. As of press time, Ulandang’s whereabouts could not be traced.

In addition to a possible two-year jail term, Rubrico could also receive 52 to 56 lashes, her brother Jerry said.

On Jan. 11, the doctor gave Rubrico a week to pay about half of the amount so the nurse, who has been working at at the King Fahad Medical City for three years, would be released.

“I pray that the Philippine embassy there could provide my sister with a lawyer. Our family, too, is doing everything we can to raise funds for her release. We’ve been in touch with relatives, friends and Gerlie’s former classmates,” said Jerry.

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