Body of slain OFW in Saudi Arabia arrives in PH

The remains of Marjorette Garcia, a domestic worker in Saudi Arabia killed by her coworker, has finally arrived in the country, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced on Friday.

“Marjorette is home,” the DMW said in a statement mourning the loss of yet another overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in the Middle Eastern country.

“It is with broken hearts that we mourn her loss, that we bring her home in this manner, the victim of one senseless act of violence we have yet to comprehend,” the DMW said in condoling with the family of Garcia.

The DMW also promised to give the family financial, psychosocial, livelihood and educational support in the form of scholarships for the children of the domestic worker.

An initial amount of P50,000 has already been handed over to the family while receiving her remains, while the rest of the support will be coursed through the DMW and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) offices near the family’s home.

READ: DMW confirms death of OFW in Saudi; probe starts

“We, at the DMW, will remember Marjorette, not so much by the way she left us, but by the life she lived—a life of service, dedication to work, and love of family,” the DMW added.

Early this month, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed the death of Garcia, whose body sustained stab wounds and was brought to a hospital but was eventually declared dead.

Garcia went to Saudi Arabia in 2021 to work as a domestic worker. Her husband and children were left behind in the Philippines.

Last week, the DFA said that the alleged murder suspect was already in the custody of Saudi Arabian authorities and that a case was being built against the suspect. The Owwa also said that the alleged perpetrator was a Kenyan coworker of Garcia.

Saudi Arabia was the top destination for OFWs in the world, but a deployment ban was imposed on the kingdom by the Philippines due to the unpaid claims by thousands of displaced workers who were laid off by mega construction companies when Saudi Arabia was hit by an oil price crash.

But the ban was lifted by the DMW in 2022 under the deal to negotiate labor agreements that would add more protection for OFWs. INQ