Undocumented OFW Dies at Philippine Embassy in Saudi – Migrante

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An undocumented overseas Filipino worker (OFW) under the custody of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia died last April 17, a migrants’ rights group said on Friday.

“We were informed by an insider who works at the Philippine embassy’s Bahay Kalinga in Riyadh about the death of the unnamed OFW. Our informant said the OFW died due to an advanced stage of breast cancer,” John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator, said.

Monterona added that the OFW ran away from her employer in 2009 owing to alleged abuse and labor malpractice.

“We were informed that she had been staying at the Bahay Kalinga for quite some time. She appealed for her repatriation and for her medication,” Monterona said.

He said it was puzzling why the embassy and labor officials failed to repatriate her when her condition was not yet critical.

“The Philippine embassy tried to conceal the OFW’s death from the knowledge of the Filipino communities ,” he said. “This is not the first time that an OFW died at the Bahay Kalinga. As per our monitoring, there were three other OFWs died there since 2008.”

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