Family of Pinoy caregiver slain in Israel arriving in Manila

OWWA logo. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

The family of Paul Vincent Castelvi, one of the Filipinos who died during the hostilities between the Israeli forces and Hamas militants, is set to return to the Philippines to spend Christmas with their loved ones, according to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa).

In a social media post, Owwa said its welfare officer in Israel has already been processing the documents needed for the repatriation of Castelvi’s wife Jovelle and their baby, JP.

“They are set to return home with the ashes of Paul before Christmas,” Owwa added.

Castelvi, a 42-year-old caregiver from Pampanga, was reportedly abducted on Oct. 7 by the militants before his body was found.

A high school graduate, Castelvi worked in Saudi Arabia for 10 years as a school bus driver to support his three siblings and parents before finding work as a caregiver in Israel.

He worked as a caregiver at Kibbutz Beeri, located in the southern portion of Israel near Gaza. The area was one of the places where Hamas launched its attack, killing dozens of people.

Castelvi was murdered just before Jovelle gave birth to their firstborn in Israel in early November.

Meanwhile, the Department of Migrant Workers said the 11th batch of overseas Filipino workers from Israel are arriving today. INQ