Jullebee laid to rest tomorrow in Las Piñas

MANILA, Philippines — Slain overseas Filipino worker Jullebee Ranara will be laid to rest tomorrow even as a group of women workers expressed support for the call to review the current bilateral labor agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait.?

The Kilusan ng Manggagawang Kababaihan (KMK) wants to ensure that the safety and welfare of migrant workers, particularly women, are given due attention in view of increasing cases of abuse and violence experienced by OFWs in Kuwait, including the recent case of Ranara.

The 35-year-old domestic helper in Kuwait was killed by the 17-year-old son of her employer. According to reports, Ranara’s body was burned and dumped in a desert.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said that the remains of Ranara will be laid to rest tomorrow at the Golden Haven Memorial Park.

OWWA Administrator Arnell Ignacio, however, stressed that the family requested for the burial to be a strictly private ceremony.

According to OWWA, they already provided educational support and scholarship for Ranara’s children. Both OWWA and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) also provided all possible assistance concerning insurance and death benefits to Ranara’s family.

“We are sad and at the same time, enraged over the death of Jullebee in Kuwait. The government should come up with a concrete action so that justice will be served to Jullebee’s family, and to prevent similar tragedies from happening as well,” said Gina Cedron of KMK.

According to Cedron, the stories of abuse and violence suffered by OFWs in Kuwait are not new and, in fact, the previous administration imposed a temporary deployment ban due to the murder of another OFW, Joan Demafelis, in 2018.?

Cedron said the government should also look into the accountability of Ranara’s employment agency.?

Apart from the call for justice, the group urged the DMW, as it revisits the bilateral labor agreement with Kuwait, to institute gender-responsive migration programs and mechanisms.?

“We recognize the big contribution of women migrant workers to the country’s economy and development. There should be mechanisms and programs that will guarantee the protection of our female OFWs from the different forms of abuse and violence,” Cedron said.

Moreover, KMK challenged President Marcos to put an end to the labor export policy and to implement necessary economic reforms in order to create better job opportunities with decent wages and benefits in the Philippines, thus reducing the need for workers to leave the country.

1,000 positions

Meanwhile, Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople announced yesterday that their department is now accepting applications for 1,000 job positions.?

The announcement was made during yesterday’s opening ceremony of a job fair at The Pavilion, Hiyas ng Bulacan Convention Center at the Capitol Compound in Malolos.

Beside the DMW’s job openings, the job fair also has 39 local employer participants that have 2,500 local job openings and 13 overseas employers/placement agencies looking for at least 6,000 job applicants.

Bulacan Gov. Daniel Fernando also announced that more job openings will soon be created in the province, as the Mega City project will be constructed in the Pandi-Balagtas-Bocaue triboundaries.

Regular monthly job fairs are also proposed to be made in the province, as business locators start to come to Bulacan, primarily attracted by the construction of an international airport in Bulakan town, Fernando added. –  Ramon Efren Lazaro