Senator seeks probe of possible murder of OFW in Saudi Arabia
A PHILIPPINE senator has filed a resolution seeking to investigate the death of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) based in Saudi Arabia who might have been murdered by her employer.
“An inquiry must be conducted to bring justice to Marjorette Garcia’s family, with the objective of ensuring that women migrant workers, who are often subjected to extensive violence, are protected and safeguarded,” Senator Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros-Baraquel said in Senate Resolution 817, which was filed on Monday and sent to reporters on Tuesday.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Monday confirmed the death of the 32-year-old domestic worker as it said it was working with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to repatriate her remains and probe her death.
OWWA said in a separate statement she might have been murdered because she had stab wounds. Ms. Garcia’s body is expected to return to the Philippines this month.
Citing 2021 data from OWWA, Ms. Hontiveros said 60% of OFWs were women, with 75% of 23,986 cases of abuse being against women.
DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo J. Cacdac told the ABS-CBN News Channel on Monday his agency was waiting for the results of a probe by Saudi authorities on the domestic worker’s death.
He said Saudi police reported that Ms. Garcia had been working “at least very well and smoothly” with her last employer.
In January, a Filipina domestic worker’s charred body was found in a desert in Kuwait. Kuwaiti police arrested her employer and 17-year-old son on murder charges.
The International Labor Organization has said only 6% of domestic workers worldwide have access to comprehensive protection including medical care and unemployment benefits.
Last year, the Saudi government promised President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. it would settle the unpaid wages and other benefits of OFWs who had been laid off by private employers from 2015 to 2016.
Migrant Workers Undersecretary Bernard P. Olalia said in August a Saudi minister would visit the country later this year to coordinate with state officials about the settlement.
In March, the late and former Migrant Workers Secretary Maria Susanna V. Ople said Saudi Arabia would hire about a million skilled Filipino workers in the next 18 to 24 months through a special employment program.
“There must be stronger mechanisms to provide comprehensive assistance and sustainable protection to OFWs, particularly women migrant workers throughout the whole process from recruitment to repatriation,” Ms. Hontiveros said. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
