President Rodrigo Duterte will visit the wake of Joanna Daniel Demafelis within this week in their hometown in Iloilo. Demafelis is the Filipina domestic helper who was found dead inside the freezer in Kuwait which was believed to be kept for more than one year.
According to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, the Duterte administration will provide financial assistance to the bereaved family of Joanna.
On Saturday, the remains of the OFW contained in a wooden casket arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The Kuwaiti government on their part had committed to track down her employers, a Lebanese and his Syrian wife who were prime suspects of the said crime.
“I don’t want to quarrel with Kuwait” Says President Duterte Over The Deployment Ban of OFWs To Kuwait
Meanwhile, Joana’s father, Crisanto hopes the government’s action over the death of Joana be expedited leading to the arrest of the suspects.
It is upon the discovery of the case of Demafelis that Duterte came out with an administrative order which implemented total deployment ban of OFWs to Kuwait.
In his previous statement, Duterte condemned the Kuwaitis for routinely raping their Filipina domestic helpers and forced then to work 21 hours and fed them with leftovers.
Kuwait’s the Amir had invited Duterte for a dialogue to discuss the condition of OFWs in their country and to possibly come out with a Labor agreement to ensure the safety of Filipino workers are taken into consideration. The dialogue also aims to cool down the tension between the two countries as they agreed not to bring the issue on media.
They are to meet either on the first or the second week of March.
Joanna left the Philippines in 2013 to try her luck in Kuwait, after their house had been damaged by Super Typhoon Yolanda. She also supports the education of her youngest sister.
