Flor Contemplacion

Flor Ramos Contemplacion (January 7, 1953 – March 17, 1995) was a Filipina domestic worker who was executed in Singapore after being convicted of murdering a fellow Filipina maid and the three-year-old boy whom she was babysitting.

At the time, her case as well as her eventual sentencing severely strained diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Singapore, although relations soon recovered.

Flor Contemplacion was born in San Pablo City in the Laguna province of Luzon, and was married with four children at the time of her death.

In 1988, she emigrated to Singapore in search of work to support her young family, eventually finding employment as a domestic servant in the Cardiff Road area of Serangoon.

Contemplacion often worked seven days a week from 6am until midnight, doing household chores and looking after her employer's child.

The prosecution thereafter submitted as evidence the statements made by Contemplacion, where she described making friends with Maga in June 1990.

On the morning of the murders, Contemplacion went to the apartment in Bukit Panjang to meet Maga, as she wanted to hand over a parcel that Maga would deliver to her parents during her upcoming holiday to the Philippines.

However, Maga refused to take the package with her, saying it was too heavy to bring on the airplane.

While Contemplacion was talking to Maga, she suddenly had a psychotic episode where she broke out into a cold sweat and felt the urge to harm Maga.

Contemplacion then strangled Maga from behind with an elastic cord and when she was dead dragged her body into a bathroom.

There she discovered Nicholas playing with toys in a bucket of water, and Contemplacion grasped him by the upper body and dunked his head under the water until he stopped moving.

Contemplacion then grabbed some of Maga's possessions and fled the apartment.

When called to give her defence, Contemplacion opted to remain silent, and her lawyer decided not to call any witnesses or make any submissions on her behalf either.

DPP Ponnampalam also declined to present any arguments due to the stance of the defence team.

On May 4, 1991, Delia Mamaril Maga (born on October 6, 1955, in Tarlac), a 34-year-old Filipino domestic worker, was found strangled to death in an apartment in Bukit Panjang.

A three-year-old boy, Nicholas Huang, whom Maga had been taking care of, was discovered lying next to her having been drowned in a bucket of water.

The victim's bodies were discovered by Huang's parents, who had employed Maga for the previous 4 years, after they had arrived home to their apartment shortly after 1pm.

Their two-year-old daughter was located unharmed in Maga's locked bedroom.

Singaporean police investigating the crime scene found no signs of a struggle or any ransacking of the flat, which combined with the fact the front door grille was locked when the owners returned home suggested that Maga knew her killer and granted them entry to the apartment.

Interviews with neighbor Lucrecia Galuga revealed that she last saw Maga and the two children alive at 10am, and Maga had mentioned that a friend was due to visit her later on that morning.

At around 7pm, police arrested 38-year-old Filipino citizen Flor Ramos Contemplacion at Serangoon Road in Kallang.

Contemplacion was found in possession of luxury items (seven watches, a camera and a pearl necklace) that were believed to have been stolen from Maga.

Investigations revealed that Contemplacion had visited Maga at the apartment in Bukit Panjang several times before and had met Nicholas Huang on those occasions.

This fact raised the possibility that Contemplacion killed Huang and Maga to prevent her being identified, however the life of the two-year-old girl was spared as she was unable to speak due to her young age.

During her interrogation by the police, Contemplacion claimed to have left her employer's house on Cardiff Road the previous morning to deliver a package to her niece at Don Long Mansion in Katong, but she was not at home when Contemplacion arrived.

However, when the police contacted the owner of the apartment to check Contemplacion's alibi he denied she had visited the property.

On the afternoon of 5 May 1991, Contemplacion finally confessed to killing both victims, and on 7 May 1991 she was charged with the double murder of Delia Mamaril Maga and Nicholas Huang and then remanded in custody.

On 26 January 1993, Contemplacion's trial began in the High Court of Singapore before Justice T. S. Sinnathuray.

In her opening speech, Deputy Public Prosecutor Kamala Ponnampalam described how the victim's dead bodies were discovered by Huang's parents, who after failing to resuscitate Nicholas then called the police.

Investigating officers examined Maga's personal diary and discovered the name and address of Flor Contemplacion, who was then located and questioned.

Testimony by forensic pathologist Doctor Wee Keng Poh revealed that Maga died from asphyxia due to strangulation and Huang's death had been caused by drowning.

According to the expert witness, another person had used an elastic cord wound around Maga's neck to apply moderate force for approximately 5 minutes, while the immersion of a young child's face in water for a similar time would cause them to drown.

Contemplacion's lawyer Ng Wing Cheong challenged the admissibility of five statements she gave to police after her arrest, asserting that they were made under duress while she was fatigued after hours of intensive questioning by detectives.

During cross examination, Contemplacion claimed police used a picture of the Virgin Mary to frighten her into incriminating herself, as being a Catholic her belief was sinners would not go to Heaven.

Contemplacion also claimed she was not informed of her right to have a lawyer present prior to giving the statements, and that detectives shouted and screamed at her that she would be hanged if she did not tell the truth.

However, Contemplacion conceded to the prosecutor that all statements were made voluntarily without any threat, inducement or promise being made before or during the recording of the statements by the Tagalog interpreter (who was provided by the Philippine Embassy in Singapore ) or herself.

DPP Ponnampalam countered there was no evidence the Special Investigations Section had such a picture in their office, and that the police officers who interrogated Contemplacion confirmed that no pictures were shown to her during her questioning.

Justice T.S Sinnathuray therefore ruled all five statements were given voluntarily and could be admitted as evidence.

On 29 January 1993, Flor Contemplacion was found guilty as charged and sentenced to death for the murder of Delia Mamaril Maga and Nicholas Huang, in accordance with Section 302 of the Penal Code of Singapore.

When the sentence was announced, Contemplacion broke down into tears and had to be supported by two prison officers as she was lead from the dock.