Marcos visits wake of slain OFW

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos yesterday personally extended his condolences to the family of murdered overseas Filipino worker Jullebee Ranara and assured them of government assistance, including scholarship grants for her children.

Marcos arrived at the wake of Ranara in Las Piñas City at around 4:10 p.m. and left at 4:45 p.m. He was accompanied by Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople, Sen. Mark Villar and Las Piñas City Rep. Camille Villar.

“I just wanted to offer my sympathies to the family and to assure them that all the assistance that they might need for… whatever else, that’s what I promised them,” the President said in a media interview.

He said the family has already received assistance from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). “We are preparing scholarships. Her children are still young. Her eldest is only 13 – so they can study well. And all other benefits, insurance, we will make sure that these will be paid. That’s what we are doing for them,” the President said partly in Filipino.

“On the other side of it, we are also scheduling bilateral meetings with Kuwait to look at the agreement that we have to see if there are any weaknesses in the agreement that allowed this to happen and to make sure that those weaknesses are remedied so that the agreement is stronger and… will be more supportive of our workers,” he said. “And furthermore, we hope this will never happen again to anyone of our countrymen.”

Condemns murder of OFW

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah condemned the murder of Ranara, whose burnt corpse was found in a desert, as he vowed punishment for the perpetrator of the heinous crime.

The Philippine embassy in Kuwait said the minister received Chargé d’Affaires Jose Cabrera III at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.

The embassy yesterday said Sheikh Salem asked Cabrera to convey his deepest condolences to the family and the Philippine government on the brutal and tragic death of the 35-year old household service worker.

“He condemned her murder and said that the perpetrator, who has been arrested and is currently in detention, will be punished for this heinous crime. Sheikh Salem added that the actions of the perpetrator do not in any way reflect the character and values of Kuwaiti society, the Kuwaiti people, and the Kuwaiti government,” the embassy said in a statement.

Sheikh Salem said the Foreign Ministry will provide the embassy all the necessary assistance as it continues to monitor the Filipina’s case.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary for migrant workers affairs Eduardo Jose de Vega said Ranara’s employer, who is the father of the 17-year-old suspect in the murder, agreed to shoulder the expenses to bring home the body.

The DFA said the embassy provided a lawyer to ensure justice for the Filipina.

Senate probe, public apology

A review of the bilateral agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait should be done to ensure the protection of overseas Filipino workers following the gruesome murder of Ranara, Sen. Raffy Tulfo said.

Tulfo filed Senate Resolution 448 that directed the appropriate Senate committee to revisit, re-examine and review the existing bilateral agreement and standard employment contract governing OFWs in Kuwait.

“That’s why this Senate resolution 448… I’ll sit down with all stakeholders to discuss what is lacking, what should be done to prevent it from happening again. When will action be taken to have a permanent solution,” said Tulfo.

Despite the use and enforcement of a new Standard Employment Contract for Filipino OFWs in Kuwait, tragedies such as those of Joanna Demafelis in 2018, Jeanelyn Villavende in 2019, and now, Jullebee Ranara’s, remain a perplexing reality, he added.

“No. 1 is (they must) apologize. No. 2. is to sit down for bilateral talks, a bargaining table. That’s what I call a deployment ban. They need us more than we need them,” the senator added.

“There are many other races that they can’t tolerate anymore. They want us (Filipino) to know English and that Filipinos are clean with their body. They have to show respect to us, not the one who always insults us. Let’s leave current contracts, those who want to renew, so be it,” Tulfo said.

Migrant workers

More than 427 OFWs, both documented and undocumented, have been stranded at the congested Bahay Kalinga in Kuwait in a facility designed for 200 individuals, OFW party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino said in a privilege speech, citing data from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and OWWA as of Jan. 20.

Magsino said most of the migrant workers are victims of “various forms of abuse by employers and many of them were getting sick or suffering from depression.” She noted the DMW already sent a team to Kuwait to check on the living conditions of the OFWs in the shelter and the agency found it “unhealthy and uncomfortable.”

The lawmaker pointed out that this particular situation in Kuwait is “just symptomatic of deeper and more crucial issues” affecting OFWs in various countries abroad.

The other issue is the government’s repatriation funding and system for distressed OFWs, as currently, the repatriation funds are handled by DMW, OWWA and DFA.

“Having the funds separately administered by various agencies, coupled with the fact that the DMW is still in transition to fully establishing its operations, raise concerns on the effective utilization of repatriation funds and on the clear delineation of the target beneficiaries in accordance with governing laws,” she added. – Pia Lee-Brago, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Sheila Crisostomo