Senate probes death of 2 OFWs

MANILA, Philippines — Two overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) died under unknown circumstances in Saudi Arabia, prompting the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to request for autopsies.

During yesterday’s public hearing of the Senate committee on migrant workers, chairman and presiding officer Sen. Raffy Tulfo said he received complaints from the families of OFWs Jelyn Arguzon and Riolyn Sayson.

In his opening statement, Tulfo said Arguzon’s husband sought help to uncover the true cause of his wife’s death as he was only vaguely told by the agency that the cause of death was unknown.

Tulfo said Arguzon was deployed to Jeddah as a household worker on June 16. The last time she spoke to her husband was on June 27, and she was found dead at her employer’s house on July 19.

When Tulfo asked about the result of the autopsy on Arguzon’s body, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the report showed that she died of natural causes.

“We do not accept this so the next course of action is an autopsy here in the Philippines,” Cacdac said.

He pointed out that “when foul play appears, their lawyer on the ground is activated and will immediately file a case regarding the concerned regarding the foul play report if there is any.”

Meanwhile, Sayson’s husband also asked for help to clarify the sudden death of his wife on July 16.

He said their last conversation was on July 15 when she complained of chest pains.

He added that his wife always worked overtime, lacked food and sleep and experienced cruelty from her employer.

According to the medical report, Sayson died of cardiac arrest but her husband said that she had long sought help from the foreign recruitment agency for her chest pains and difficulty breathing.

However, the agency said that she was just acting and was probably just homesick, he said.

The committee tackled Senate Resolution No. 1086, or the enforcement of stricter monitoring measures on OFWs in relation to the deaths of Arguzon and Sayson.

Tulfo urged the DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to enforce stricter measures to ensure the protection, safety and well-being of OFWs through constant monitoring.

“Licensed recruitment agencies should equally share the burden of strictly monitoring their deployed workers, and their capacity to do so must be closely watched by our agencies,” Tulfo stressed.