As far as the fact that she is dead, there is no dispute whatsoever. But as to the nature of her death, whether she leapt off the building in an apparent suicide as what the Taiwanese police reported or whether foul play was involved as suspected by her mother, that we don't know.
And this is where the government of the Republic of the Philippines should come in, to demand from the Taipei government a clearer picture as to the circumstances surrounding the death of Lolita.
For starters, the Philippine government should subject the body of Lolita to an autopsy the moment it gets repatriated here, probably within this week. Not only the family of Lolita but the thousands of other Filipino workers in Taiwan need to be satisfied in this regard.
Indeed it is a wonder why the Philippine government is relatively quiet on this incident. It appears that the plight of Filipino workers in the region does not attract the same concern as those of workers in the more volatile Middle East.
Is it because the foreign media, drawn to the crisis in the Middle East, has focused more attention on everything that goes on there? As far as we can remember, incidents involving Filipinos there seem to get more prompt attention from the Philippine government.
The Philippine government should be consistent in its regard for Filipino expatriates wherever they may be. It must not be biased in favor of those in areas where media attention tends to be heavier and more focused, as if wanting to ride on the free publicity.
Filipinos working in the Middle East may be experiencing tough working conditions on account of the volatile political situation. But this does not necessarily mean workers in other places, especially in Asia, are having a walk in the park.
Indeed, it has been observed that many Asian employers tend to be more abusive than their counterparts elsewhere. Maybe there is a historical or cultural reason for this. But the fact is, working conditions for Filipino workers in other Asian countries are just as tough.