DFA: Filipino woman linked to Tokyo couple’s deaths is in good condition

The Metropolitan Police Department | The Japan News/Asia News Network

MANILA, Philippines – Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega on Wednesday said the Filipina arrested for allegedly abandoning two dead bodies in Tokyo, Japan is in good condition.

The Filipina, who was identified by foreign news outlets as Hazel Ann Morales, was among the two Filipinos arrested in Japan in connection with a case in which two bodies were found under the floor of a house in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward.

“The embassy visited the lady yesterday and will get to visit the gentleman tomorrow,” de Vega told INQUIRER.net in a text message.

“She assures her family that she is alright and that she already has her court-appointed lawyer whom the embassy will coordinate with. She denies all involvement with the crime,” he added.

According to de Vega, Morales is a permanent resident in Japan. The other Filipino arrested, on the other hand, is an Overseas Filipino Worker.

De Vega earlier emphasized that both Filipinos “have not actually been indicted for any offense.”

“We ask the public not to speculate or circulate unverified stories, as this may prejudice their chances in the criminal proceedings. For now, they have not actually been indicted for any offense,” he said then.

Article 190 of the Japan Penal Code states that a person who damages, abandons or unlawfully possesses a corpse, the ashes or hair of a dead person or an object placed in a coffin is punished by imprisonment of not more than 3 years.