Let me veer away for a moment from the usual events to dwell on something that recently tugged at the heartstrings of the nation.
Early last month, the first month in a new year that held much promise and hope for most, a 35-year-old Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in Kuwait by the name of Jullebee Ranara made a phone call to her family, confiding that she was afraid of someone in the household she was serving. Jullebee had been working as a domestic worker in this small emirate famous for its sand dunes and located at the northeastern corner of the Persian Gulf.
By the next day, Jullebee seemed to have vanished, prompting her friends in this Gulf state nestled between Iraq and Saudi Arabia to send out posts about her disappearance on social media. Naturally, her loved ones back in Las Piñas were frantically worried.
Less than 24 hours later, her charred remains were found beside a road in the desert. Her skull was smashed and, per the autopsy report, it looked like she was also raped. According to a report in The Philippine STAR, her employer’s 17-year-old son was arrested shortly after the discovery of her body and he has since been in the custody of Kuwaiti authorities.
Jullebee’s death sent shockwaves across the nation, and in this age of internet and social media, where news and reactions travel at breakneck speed, the indignation and anger were also just as overwhelming.
Since 2018, there have been four cases of Kuwait-based OFWs who were murdered. One recalls the case of 29-year-old Joanna Demafelis, whose body was hidden in a freezer in an abandoned apartment for almost two years, or of Constancia Dayag in 2019, who was allegedly beaten to death by her employer, or of Jeanelyn Villavende, who died from injuries inflicted by her employer in the same year.
Surely, there was already a need to look into the plight of the OFWs, not just in Kuwait, but also all over the world. There are currently 268,000 Filipinos currently working in Kuwait, and most of them are domestic workers.
Kuwait uses the Kafala or sponsorship system as the means to govern domestic workers.
This case is certainly a baptism of fire, so to speak, for the newly minted Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), but with Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople at the helm, we trust in the efforts for the betterment of our OFWs, not just in Kuwait, but in other countries as well.
A week after the discovery of the body, Jullebee’s remains were brought home to a distraught family waiting for her in Las Piñas.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) himself wasted no time in being on top of the situation. At the wake of Jullebee, which he visited immediately after her body’s arrival from Kuwait and after going through the proper clearances and procedures, PBBM vowed to extend all possible assistance to the family of the deceased.
“I just wanted to offer my sympathies to the family and to assure them that all the assistance that they might need for the family and for whatever else, that is my promise to them,” the President said. “Their child made that sacrifice to work abroad because she has dreams for her family here.”
“I told them,” the President added, “that now that your child is gone, we will try to fulfill your dreams. All the assistance that we can give, we will give.”
Acting on the President’s instructions, the MVP Group of Companies, under the chairmanship of Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP), likewise extended assistance to the family. Meralco had to energize the house and the area because they did not have electricity for years.
In addition, MVP generously offered to shoulder past dues and penalties and will pay for the electricity bills till the end of 2023. He likewise offered to provide cable TV services via Cignal TV and even gave a new television set to the household. He also donated money to the family as a form of abuloy.
The President also said that the Philippine government was scheduling a bilateral meeting with Kuwait to review the Bilateral Labor Agreement (BLA) to further protect OFWs there, following the murder of Ranara.
The Philippines has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Kuwait since 1979, though the country has acknowledged the existence of the emirate since 1961.
We hope that justice will be served to Jullebee and her bereaved family, and that the abuse of our OFW brethren, in Kuwait and in other countries, will come to an end.