DMW providing assistance to family of slain OFW in Kuwait

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Thursday said it is providing assistance to the family of the slain Filipino domestic worker whose body was found in an advance state of decomposition at the home of a Kuwaiti after being reported missing for two months.

In an interview with Balitanghali, DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said, "We conveyed our utmost condolence, pakikiisa, ganap na tulong, repatriation, legal assistance sa pagkamit ng hustiysa at pagtulong sa naiwang pamilya."

(We expressed our deepest condolences, solidarity, full support, assistance with repatriation, legal assistance in seeking justice, and support for the family that was left behind.)

Cacdac said the victim's remains are set to be repatriated to the Philippines following the conclusion of the probe by Kuwaiti authorities.

"Tayo ay in coordination with our embassy in Kuwait at du'n napag-alaman natin… na noong December 28, 2024, may nagpresenta sa Kuwaiti police na nagsasabing may kaalaman siya sa pagpaslang ng ating kababayan," Cacdac told Balitanghali.

(We are in coordination with our embassy in Kuwait, and there we learned that on December 28, 2024, someone reached out to the Kuwaiti police claiming to have knowledge about the murder of our countryman.)

The victim, who had been working as a household service worker in Kuwait since December 2019, was reported missing by her second employer in October 2024.

However, initial reports indicated that no family member in the Philippines reported about it even though the victim had been missing for two months.

"Nakausap namin ang husband at sabi niya, October ang huling communication sa kanila. Ang akala nila ay busy lang ang kanilang mahal sa buhay na OFW hanggang sa nakatanggap ng balita ng kaniyang pagpasalang," he added.

(We spoke to the husband, and he said that their last communication was in October. They thought that their loved one, who was working overseas, was just busy until they received the news of her passing.)

The Office of the Migrant Affairs (OMA) from the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait previously said the victim's body was found after a sibling of the suspect made a report to the police.

The DMW has yet to release the identity of the victim. Cacdac said this was to ensure the family’s welfare, including the victim's child, amid the celebration of the holiday season.

"Sa ngayon, nasa authorities pa sa Kuwait… Once na maayos na in terms of pagsusuri sa labi, maiuuwi na natin ang mahal na kababayan sa kaniyang pamilya," said Cacdac.

(Right now, it is still with the authorities in Kuwait. Once the examination of the remains is complete, we will be able to bring our dear countryman home to her family.)

Over the past years, there have been several incidents of Filipino deaths in Kuwait, including the cases of Jullebee Ranara, whose body was burned and found in a desert in 2023; Joanna Demafelis, who was killed and stuffed in a freezer by her employers in 2018; Constancia Lago Dayag, who died at the hands of her employer in May 2019; and Jeanelyn Villavende, who was killed by her female employer due to jealousy in December 2019.

These incidents prompted a deployment ban for new hires in Kuwait. However, after several years of negotiations, the ban was lifted, allowing Filipinos to work in the Middle Eastern country once again. — VDV, GMA Integrated News