Solons condemn killing of OFW based in Kuwait

KABAYAN Party-list and Gabriela Women’s Party in Congress condemned the killing of Jullebee Ranara, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) based in Kuwait, whose body was found burned in a desert.

“I vehemently condemn the brutal and deplorable killing of our kabayan, Ranara. I express my sincerest sympathies and condolences to her family and loved ones who are mourning her loss. We join them in prayers and calls for justice to be swiftly served,” KABAYAN Party-list Representative Ron Salo said.

The suspect in the killing of Ranara has already surrendered to Kuwaiti police, according to the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait.

“This cruelty against our fellow kabayan should not go unpunished in order to serve justice and to deter similar incidents in the future, noting that we still have around 250,000 kababayans in Kuwait, with 70% of them working as domestic helpers,” Salo stated.

According to Ranara’s death certificate, her body suffered from a “fractured skull, face, and lower jaw.” The cause of death was due to “several traumatic injuries, brain degradation, and the discontinuation of high vital centers.”

“In order to minimize similar incidents, we call on the DMW and the recruitment agencies to strengthen their monitoring efforts on the welfare of our OFWs. I am certain that before she was killed, there were signs or indications of possible abuse against Ranara, which if timely and properly addressed, may have averted her eventual killing. We need to be proactive in providing the necessary safeguards to protect the lives of our OFWs,” Salo ended.

Rage against sexual violence on OFWs: solon 

Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Arlene Brosas also sent deep condolences to the family of Jullebee Ranara, as it was also reported that the Filipina worker was raped and impregnated. 

“We rage and cry for justice for Ranara, who is the latest OFW victim of sexual violence abroad and whose gruesome death highlights the grim social costs of the government’s labor export policy,” Brosas said.

“The brutal killing of Ranara should prompt a formal communication of concern from Philippine authorities to the Kuwaiti government, especially as this is not a new case of sexual violence victimizing Filipino migrant workers,” she added. 

The women’s party-list then urged the national government to ensure necessary programs to assist OFWs in distress in the Middle East and other countries.

“The national government must also ensure the necessary programs to assist thousands of Filipinos in distress right now in the Middle East and other parts of the globe, and must finally transition out of the labor export paradigm which has only exposed Filipino migrants to abuse and slave-like conditions for several decades now,” Brosas ended.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) then said the body of Ranara will be repatriated on Friday evening.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, under the “Kafala” system used in “Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries like Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—as well as Jordan and Lebanon,” the state gives local individuals or companies permits to employ foreign laborers, where the sponsors cover travel expenses and provide housing in dorm-like accommodations or in the sponsor’s home.

“The system usually falls under the jurisdiction of interior ministries, rather than labor ministries, so workers often have no protection under the host country’s labor law. This leaves them vulnerable to exploitation and denies them such rights as the ability to enter a labor dispute process or join a union,” the Council on Foreign Relations explained.