Remains of slain OFW in Kuwait to be repatriated
The remains of slain Filipino domestic worker Jullebee Ranara, whose charred corpse was found in a desert in Kuwait on Sunday, will be repatriated Friday night, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed Thursday, January 26.
Ranara, 35, was reportedly raped, beaten, ran over and burned by the 17-year-old son of her employer in Kuwait.
Ina press briefing DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said Ranara’s employer agreed to shoulder the cost of the repatriation.
De Vega assured that the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait has also provided a lawyer to handle the case and would continue to work with Kuwaiti authorities to bring justice to the slain Filipina.
Ranara’s charred body was recovered by the Kuwaiti police at the Salmi, Al-Jarah Governorate on Jan. 21. The 35-year-old OFW, whose skull had been smashed by the murderer, was reportedly pregnant.
The English-language publication Arab Times said the suspect was arrested and confessed to the crime.
“The accused happened to be a Kuwaiti juvenile who raped his family housemaid and committed a gruesome murder by burning her body and throwing it on road side in Salmi area,” the report read.
The suspect is now in police custody.
Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople visited the family of the victim on Monday and vowed to work closely with the Kuwaiti government for the fast resolution of the case.
DMW spokesperson Toby Nebrida also said the Philippines and Kuwait might need to revisit labor agreements in order to strengthen the protection mechanism for Filipino workers.
Around 100,220 Filipinos were working in Kuwait last year, according to DMW data. At least 47,000 of them are household workers.
An outpouring of grief and anger over the brutal slay of the Ranara flooded social media, with many calling for justice on behalf of the Ranara and others OFWs like her who suffer abuse in the hands of their employers. Others blamed the bleak employment outlook in the Philippines and the government’s labor exportation-focused policies for the exodus of Filipino workers despite the risks.
