Housemaid’s body found stuffed in Kuwait freezer returned to Manila
manila — The body of a Philippine maid found stuffed in a freezer in Kuwait arrived home to a tearful welcome on Friday, just days after Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte barred his nationals from working in the Gulf state.
Joanna Demafelis, 29, was found earlier this month after her employers, a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife, disappeared in 2016.
Kuwaiti police believe Demafelis had been hired by a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife who later left the country, according to local media reports citing police for the information. Authorities found her body when they raided the apartment over an eviction notice.
It’s unclear how the woman remained missing for so long or if police had requested extradition for the Lebanese man and his Syrian wife. Police said the two are wanted on suspicion of writing bad checks.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said on Friday the Kuwaiti ambassador had assured him his government was “outraged” over the killing and determined to find those responsible.
Cayetano said while the death was tragic it would be a “rallying point” for governments to work harder to protect Filipinos overseas. He said about three to five per cent of Filipino labourers in Kuwait were having problems but acknowledged the government needed to do more.
His department said authorities were repatriating 10,000 Filipinos who had overstayed their visas in Kuwait, with more than 700 flown home already under an amnesty programme announced recently by the Kuwaiti government.
“Her death is tragic but will also be a rallying point for all of the government agencies to be more aggressive abroad in helping our OFWs be protected,” Cayetano said.—