DFA probes Filipina’s death in Lebanon

The Filipina domestic helper who apparently committed suicide in Lebanon was “under (Philippine) embassy responsibility” when the incident occurred over the weekend, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Monday.

DFA Assistant Secretary Eduardo Meñez said an investigation is now

ongoing on the death of the still-unnamed Filipina household worker who died inside a shelter being managed and ran by the Philippine Embassy in Beirut.

“One thing clear is that she was under embassy responsibility less than 24 hours after the incident happened while breakfast was ongoing, so underlying causes are also being considered,” the DFA official said.

When asked to provide more details about the incident, Meñez said, “The inquiry is ongoing and the DFA will abide by the next of kin’s wishes on details that may be shared.”

In a statement on Sunday, the DFA said the Filipina worker reportedly jumped from a room she was sharing with two others at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) shelter on Saturday, May 23. She reportedly died the following day.

It said the embassy gave an assurance to the family of the OFW that assistance will be extended including the repatriation of her remains. However, Beirut is still under lockdown and international commercial flights in Lebanon have yet to resume.

Last week, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in

Lebanon released a conclusion on its earlier investigation about the state of the Philippine Embassy’s temporary shelter in Beirut where “30 or more women (including pregnant and elderly) have been locked in for months awaiting their return home (without sunlight, proper care, etc.).”

On May 18, 2020, the NHRC wrote the Philippine Embassy and recommended that the latter conduct an “urgent assessment” to identify those individuals most at risk within the shelter, particularly those with health condition and pregnant amid the outbreak of the pandemic.

“We noticed that in this shelter that occupancy exceeds the official capacity, and where the official capacity is based on a calculation of square meterage per person that does not permit social distancing in accordance with the standards guidance given to the general population as a whole,” the NHRC told the embassy in the letter.

The Lebanon-based rights group also recommended that the embassy make available “appropriate psychological support” to all women and staff who are affected by the conditions in the shelter.