House Speaker Martin Romualdez (Facebook)

The Kuwaiti court's conviction of Filipino domestic helper Jullebee Ranara's killer sends a positive message to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) all over the world, says House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

"We thank the authorities in Kuwait--from its police force to its court--for helping serve justice in the case of our kababayan, Jullebee Ranara," Romualdez said in statement Friday afternoon, Sept. 15. 

Ranara was a 35-year-old household service worker in Kuwait who was killed by the son of her employer in January of 2023. 

It was reported late Thursday night, Sept. 14 that the juvenile justice court in Kuwait sentenced the perpetrator to 15 years of imprisonment for the murder. 

"This is also a recognition of the importance of OFWs in the Arab states and beyond. We help keep together these foreign homes, we help build their impressive edifices, and we take care of their elderly and sick when nobody else is willing to," noted Romualdez, Leyte's 1st district congressman. 

He also thanked Philippine officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and other agencies for seeing the Ranara case through. 

After she was slain, Ranara's body was dumped and burned in a desert. She was pregnant at that time. 

"Her brutal killing shocked us to our core, especially the OFWs. This verdict goes a long way in assuaging their fears. All they want is to do decent work in order to build their families' future," said Romualdez, leader of the 311-strong House of Representatives.