EDITORIAL - Coming home

Joanna Daniella Demafelis, just 29 years old, came home yesterday from working in Kuwait – in a crate. Grieving relatives met the remains of Demafelis at the NAIA, from where the body will be flown to her home in Iloilo.

Demafelis’ body was stuffed in a freezer in a Kuwait apartment that was abandoned by her Lebanese and Syrian employers in 2016. The body bore stab wounds and torture marks. Her relatives said Demafelis had not told them about her suffering at the hands of her employers, but her fellow Filipinas in Kuwait said she had complained about the abuse. Demafelis’ relatives looked for her when she stopped getting in touch with them, and sought help from Philippine authorities in Kuwait.

The relatives said they received no help from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. The Department of Labor and Employment has recalled its welfare officer and labor attaché in Kuwait. Some reports said OWWA and POEA personnel were overwhelmed by the number of cases involving overseas Filipino workers in the Gulf state, which hosts an estimated 250,000 OFWs. Approximately 70 percent of the Filipinos are domestic helpers, like Demafelis.

Her tragic fate should lead to a reassessment of the nation’s capability to assist its massive army of migrant workers. At least 10 million Filipinos are working overseas, with their earnings accounting for a hefty 10 percent of gross domestic product and 8.3 percent of gross national income. Last year, OFWs remitted a record high $31.29 billion – a 5.3 percent increase from the $29.71 billion in 2016.

With that massive contribution to the nation’s economic growth, the OFWs deserve better assistance and protection from various forms of abuse. As the case of Demafelis has shown, however, the government’s capability to perform those tasks can be sorely wanting, especially in countries where there are large numbers of OFWs. Demafelis’ death should lead to measures that will address this weakness.