Murdered Filipina’s family assured support
CONSULATE TO HELP REPATRIATE BODY, ARRANGE FOR FAMILY’S TRAVEL
T he family of Maria Normita de Lima, 46, a Filipina domestic worker based in Abu Dhabi, who was brutally murdered in May, will be given all help possible, including facilitating the family’s flight to Dubai and repatriating the victim’s remains, a senior consulate official said yesterday.
Consul-General Paul Raymund Cortes, after a meeting with Dubai Police officials yesterday, said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila had officially informed the family of De Lima’s demise. Her headless body was found in Al Warqa’a, Dubai, in May, but her identity was ascertained only on Tuesday following a police investigation that took more than three months.
“As far as we are concerned, we will assist [Mr De Lima] in whatever way there is. We will also take care of the shipment of [the body] remains,” Cortes said, adding that DFA Manila will have to decide if they will also assist de Lima’s other family members should they decide to fly to Dubai.
The confirmation was made after a delegation from Al Rashidiya Police Station and the Criminal Investigation Department visited the consulate yesterday to offer their condolences to the De Lima family as well as to the Filipino community and their diplomatic mission in Dubai.
Colonel Saeed Hamad Bin Sulaiman, Director of Al Rashidiya Police Station, conveyed the condolences of the Dubai Police Chief and the Assistant to the Dubai Police Chief for Criminal Investigation Affairs, and emphasised the UAE’s commitment to providing all communities living in the country with necessary services, security and a decent life, which are pillars of civilisation and economic stability.
Lt Col Adel Al Joker, Head of Investigation at Dubai Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, said the case was a oneoff incident and did not reflect on the values of the Filipino community, as they are known for their cooperation with Dubai Police and were one of the oldest expatriate communities in the UAE.
Cortes said officials at the mission have yet to meet the suspect and, should he ask to be provided with a lawyer, the consulate will make the necessary requests for funds from the head office in Manila.
De Lima, who came to the UAE in December last year to work as a maid in Abu Dhabi, leaves behind her husband Salvio, a policeman in Manila, and two children aged 13 and 15.
“It’s hard to accept the news of my wife’s death. My kids are distraught and are being cared for and comforted by their aunts right now,” Salvio told Gulf News in a phone interview from Manila.
Nephew in custody
Salvio said DFA officials in Manila yesterday afternoon briefed him with the results of the police investigation in Dubai, which led to the arrest of his wife’s nephew, G.S, who is currently in police custody.
“As a police officer, I vouch for the integrity of the results of the police investigation in Dubai. I would like justice to be served, whoever the perpetrator may be,” Salvio said.
“My wife was a selfless woman. She was a doting mother to my kids, and a very caring wife. Now my kids will grow up without a mother. This really breaks my heart.”
As a police officer, I vouch for the integrity of the results of the police investigation in Dubai. My wife was a doting mother and a very caring wife. Now my kids will grow up without a mother. This really breaks my heart.” Salvio Normita de Lima | Maria’s husband