Teen killer of OFW Jullebee gets 15 years

MANILA, Philippines — Slain overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Jullebee Ranara’s 17-year-old killer has been sentenced to 15 years in prison in Kuwait for murder.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the perpetrator was found guilty of killing, burning and dumping the victim’s body in the desert. The conviction was announced late Thursday night. 

On TV interviews, Ranara’s relatives welcomed the guilty verdict and speedy sentencing, but expressed disappointment that the killer did not receive a heavier penalty, given the brutality of the murder.

Quoting information from the Philippine embassy in Kuwait, the DFA said “the Juvenile Court in Kuwait today convicted the killer (Turki Ayed Al-Azmi) of OFW Jullebee Ranara, sentencing him to 15 years imprisonment for murder and one year imprisonment for driving without license.”

Ranara, a 35-year-old household service worker, was killed by the son of her employer in Kuwait in January.

Her killer, the DFA explained, was given lesser penalties because the accused is a minor, who has 30 days to appeal the judgment to the Court of First Instance.

Ranara’s remains were brought home to the Philippines in February this year and were laid to rest in Las Piñas as her killer faced trial for murder.

“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 acknowledges the efforts undertaken by the Kuwaiti authorities to effect a speedy resolution of the case, in the pursuit of justice for our slain kababayan,” the DFA added.

President Marcos lauded the Philippine embassy in Kuwait, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Kuwaiti authorities for the conviction of Ranara’s killer.

“I take comfort in thinking that Toots and Jullebee are looking down from heaven with smiles,” Marcos wrote on X, referring to the late DMW secretary Susan Ople and Ranara.

“We hope that the appeal process will be conducted fairly, and justice will be served accordingly,” he said.

Ople died last month after battling breast cancer.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Martin Romualdez, yesterday welcomed the conviction by the Kuwaiti court.

In a statement, Romualdez said this development sends a “positive message” to all OFWs.

Romualdez added the verdict will go long way in “assuaging their (OFWs) fears” and it is also a recognition of the importance of migrant workers in the “Arab states and beyond.”

“We help keep together these foreign homes, we help build their impressive edifices and we take care of their elderly and sick when nobody else is willing to,” he maintained.

According to OFW Party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino, Ranara’s family still has to contend with her brutal death so she is hopeful that the “justice achieved through the court’s decision will somehow lessen the sting of the wounds they carry.”

“But the overarching issue still remains – there must be a fundamental transformation of the conditions under which Filipino migrant domestic workers can work and live in their host countries,” she said.

Magsino underscored the need for key reforms “through stronger bilateral agreements that should include a standard contract, a system for rescuing workers in distress and investigating worker abuses and deaths.”

For his part, Kabayan party-list Rep. Ron Salo said the conviction is “a significant milestone for justice and accountability.”

“Jullebee Ranara’s case is a stark reminder of the challenges faced by Filipino migrant Wworkers in their pursuit of better opportunities overseas. The Filipino government, alongside the international community, must continue to collaborate to ensure the safety and welfare of our overseas workers,” Salo added. — Helen Flores, Sheila Crisostomo