Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac gives updates on status of different Filipinos working abroad during the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City on Oct. 12, 2024. PNA photo / Robert Alfiler
MANILA, Philippines – Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac on Thursday assured that the Philippine government will seek justice for the slain overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Kuwait.
He said they are now closely monitoring the case with the prime suspect in custody of Kuwaiti authorities.
“We also know that the prime suspect is already in custody and is being investigated, we have a lawyer on the ground, our legal retainer on the ground, who is monitoring this case because our best interest here is to push for a prosecution of the prime suspect and justice to be attained,” Cacdac said in a media interview.
He said the victim has been working in Kuwait for the last five years, having worked already for two employers.
“Apparently she had transferred to a second employer, so her original employer on record was not the employer who reported her as having absconded or terminated her employment with the second employer sometime on October 16th, and we also know that October was the last time she had communicated with her family and since that time there had been no reports about her,” Cacac said.
He added that after losing contact with the OFW, the family thought that the victim was just busy.
Cacdac said the DMW did not have any registered or documented reports from her family.
It was not until Dec. 28 that Kuwaiti authorities reported the discovery of the OFW’s body.
Cacdac confirmed that the prime suspect has a previous criminal record in Kuwait.
He, however, said details about the exact circumstances and motive for the crime remains unclear.
Cacdac assured the victim’s family that the OFW’s remain will be repatriated after the necessary investigative procedures are completed.
At present, he said the Philippine government would provide financial assistance for the victim’s burial and other related expenses.
Additional aid is also being coordinated through the Philippine Embassy and the Migrant Workers Office in Kuwait.
Cacdac said the incident has sparked concerns about the safety of Filipino workers in Kuwait, particularly regarding employment transfers.
He said the Philippine government has already implemented stricter measures for deploying OFWs to Kuwait, including monitoring recruitment practices and requiring previous experience before deployment.
READ: OFW involved in death of Kuwaiti child ‘an isolated case’
With the recent incident, he said the Philippine government would review policies to prevent such incidents from happening again.
In another interview, Kabayan Party-list Representative Ron Salo raised concerns about illegal employment transfers by OFWs.
Cacdac, meanwhile, assured that the government is improving its guidelines for such transfers and enhancing accessibility for Filipino workers to report changes in employment, while discussions about further tightening of regulations are ongoing.