20/05/2019
20/05/2019
KUWAIT CITY, May 20: The investigation into the case of the recent death of the 47-year-old Filipino maid, Constancia Lago Dayag, has taken two tracks, the first is security where the exciting facts are revealed, most notably that it is the natural death and no criminal suspicion, and the second is diplomatic, reports Al-Qabas daily.
In the midst of Philippine government’s denial about the suspension of sending workers to Kuwait citing the agreement signed between the two friendly countries, the Al-Qabas sources confirmed that the criminal investigation officers listened to the testimony of the employer, who said he was surprised by the death of his domestic helper inside her room. The authorities have not slapped any charges against him.
The preliminary inspection showed that the death was normal and there was no criminal suspicion. The sources said investigations by detectives showed the relationship between the maid and her sponsor and his sons was good and there were no problems between them, and that she was about to travel to her home for vacation in agreement with her sponsor.
The sources added, the sponsor then informed the Operations Room of the Ministry of Interior and the door was forced open by firemen and the maid was found dead in her bed. Preliminary investigations showed the death was normal. The sources said that the final report of forensic medicine will be issued soon.
Philippines Vice-Consul Charleson Hermosura confirmed that there is no ban on sending Filipino workers to Kuwait, and the recruitment process for the country is still ongoing. “There are no instructions from the Philippines State Department on the ban on sending labor and we are awaiting the results of the Kuwaiti forensic department,”
Hermosura said in a statement broadcast by ABS-CBN Middle East. Hermosura said there was no truth to the news published on social media that the Philippine Embassy was obsessed with the death of the maid. “The Philippine embassy has always been transparent and we have allowed the media access to information on this and other cases that we have had in the past,” he said.
Hermosura reiterated that the embassy, with the help of the Kuwaiti government, would follow all legal means to find out the truth and achieve justice.
According to Al-Rai daily, the deceased maid Dayag was living on the second floor of the sponsor’s house.
In the meantime, the ABS-CBN News quoting Malacañang said Monday the agreement for the greater protection of Philippine workers in Kuwait should be reviewed following what it called ‘the brutal death of household service worker Constancia Lago Dayag, 47, in Kuwait’. When asked whether the agreement should be reviewed, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said:” I think we should, because according to [Labor] Secretary [Silvestre] Bello there has been a breach in the agreement signed by the 2 countries.”
The Philippines and Kuwait last year signed a memorandum of understanding to provide greater protection for Philippine workers in the Gulf state. Manila set the agreement with Kuwait as a condition to end its deployment ban, a move triggered by the string of deaths of Philippine migrant workers in the Gulf state, including Joanna Demafelis, whose body was found in a freezer.