OFW Jullebee Ranara’s killer gets 15 years from Kuwait court

The person behind the killing of OFW Jullebee Ranara has been convicted by a Kuwaiti juvenile court of murder, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday night.

According to the DFA, the accused was sentenced to 15 years in prison for murder. He also received a one-year prison sentence for driving without license.

The DFA said lower penalties were due to the accused being a minor. He has 30 days to appeal the judgement to the Court of First Instance.

"The family of the OFW has been informed and is grateful for the assistance provided them by the government," the DFA said.

"The Philippine Government is similarly appreciative of the efforts undertaken by the Kuwaiti authorities to effect a speedy resolution of the case, in the pursuit of justice for our slain kababayan," it added. 

The burned body of 35-year-old Ranara was found in the desert in January. 

The 17-year-old son was arrested in connection with the crime. He was also reported to have raped and made pregnant Ranara.

Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in January vowed that Ranara's killer would be punished for the crime.

Sheikh Salem met with Philippine Chargé d'Affaires Jose Cabrera to condemn the killing of Ranara, whose burned body was found in the desert.

The foreign minister asked Cabrera to convey his condolences to the family and the Philippine government for the death of Ranara.

The official also explained that the actions of the suspect did not reflect the character and values of Kuwaiti society, the Kuwaiti people, and the Kuwaiti government.

Ranara's death is the latest of Fililpino fatalities in Kuwait in the recent years.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte earlier directed the OFW deployment ban to Kuwait following the killing of Filipina domestic worker Joanna Daniela Demafelis in 2018.

Demafelis was found in a freezer at an abandoned apartment in the Gulf state. Reports said Demafelis' employers, a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife, hid the body in the freezer before fleeing the apartment.

Duterte then appealed to Arab nations to treat Filipino workers with dignity and respect.

A partial lifting of the ban took place in May 2018 after the signing of the protection deal for overseas Filipino workers in the Gulf state.

But in May 2019, the Labor Department said 47-year-old overseas Filipino worker Constancia Lago Dayag died at the hands of her employer also in Kuwait.

In 2020, it was reported that Jeanelyn Villavende was killed by her female employer in Kuwait due to jealousy on December 28, 2019.

Results of the autopsy made by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health showed that the victim died after multiple organ failure following severe beating.

Reports said Villavende’s female employer was served the death penalty while her husband was charged with 4-year imprisonment for covering up and not reporting the crime.

Ban lifted

In February 2020, the Philippine government lifted the deployment ban of Filipino migrant workers to Kuwait.

Then- Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III made the announcement after the Kuwaiti government conceded to the conditions set by the Philippines during a board meeting at the time.

The Kuwaiti government has already met one of the conditions set by the Philippines, which is to file charges against the employers of Villavende.

Bello also said that Kuwaiti officials have agreed to craft a harmonized standard employment contract for Filipino workers.

Under the new contract, Filipino workers will be allowed to take one day off with pay each week. The contract will also state the designated working and sleeping hours of the worker.

Over the weekend, the DMW said it was looking to repatriate all distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait by the end of January.

Of the 421  distressed Kuwait OFWs, the DWM had repatriated 142  since January 17, 2023. —NB, GMA Integrated News