ILOILO CITY -- President Rodrigo R. Duterte visited the wake of slain migrant worker Joanna Daniela Demafelis at Barangay Ferraris, Sara in Iloilo Province on Thursday.
The Chief Executive arrived at the wake at 3:32 p.m. He extended his condolences to the Demafelis family and gave PHP500,000 worth of financial assistance sourced from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). Prior to the release of the said cash, OWWA already handed PHP100,000 immediate financial help to the family.
Duterte also gave life insurance coverage worth USD15,000 and one unit of cellphone to each of the parents and siblings of Joanna.
The victim is the sixth out of nine children.
He also assured the family to help finish the construction of the Demafelis' house destroyed by super typhoon Yolanda and to redeem the more or less three hectares rice land which they pawned.
"In addition, the President assured the siblings of Joanna that they will get scholarships to finish their current courses," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press briefing held outside the Demafelis house and after the President’s 30-minute stay at the wake.
The victim went to Kuwait in 2014 to earn enough to rebuild their house and to finance the education of her youngest sister Joyce, a graduating criminology student, who was forced to stop studying last year.
Duterte also assured the victim’s parents, Crisanto and Eva, that he will help to seek justice for their slain daughter as manhunt for the two suspects, Joanna’s former employers, continues.
“The only way to do that (to seek justice) is we can have the result of the investigation. Kung nahuli iyang dalawang tao, and that would allow me now to initiate charges,” Duterte said in a press briefing.
The President also reiterated that the ban in the deployment of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to Kuwait will stay and the government is also looking into situations of migrant workers in other countries.
“Yes, we are doing an audit now to find out the places where we deploy Filipinos and (where) our countrymen suffer brutal treatment and human derogation,” he said. However, “that will be a long, long task,” the President added.
Joanna's father said that the President's visit somehow gave relief to the pain he felt over the death of his daughter.
He said that President Duterte also assured them that the government would do everything to give justice to her daughter.
Meanwhile, Joyce, the victim’s youngest sister, expressed thanks to the President for giving time to visit the wake of her sister and the assistance he extended to her family.
"I hope that the justice for the killing of my sister will speed up," she said.
Joanna’s remains arrived in her hometown last February 17.
Her interment is scheduled first week of March.
Her body was found inside a freezer in the Al Shaab district of Kuwait on February 9, a year after she had gone missing. (PNA)
Photo by RTVM
