The remains of overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Jenny Alvarado finally arrived in the Philippines last Thursday, Jan. 16, after initially being misidentified, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Cacdac said.
Jenny Alvarado (Samahan ng mga DH sa Gitnang Silangan/Facebook)
During the Quezon City media forum on Saturday, Jan. 18, reported that Alvarado’s family was already able to identify her remains.
“Nagkaroon ng repatriation, noong Huwebes ng gabi ay kasama po namin iyong pamilya, mga anak ni Jenny sumalubong sa airport, nakauwi na rin sa wakas si Jenny Sanchez Alvarado at dinala sa funeral home (There was a repatriation and last Thursday night with her family, Jenny’s children were there in the airport, Jenny Sanchez Alvarado is finally home and was brought to the funeral home),” Cacdad said.
He also shared that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) also conducted an autopsy on Alvarado’s remains on Friday, Jan. 17.
“Ang gusto natin dito ay tingnan kung ano ba talaga ang nangyari, kung ano ang sitwasyon ng kaniyang labi, human remains kaya’t we want to dig deeper, look deeper into the matter to look into whether there was foul play doon sa kaniyang pagkasawi kaya’t nagkaroon ng NBI autopsy kahapon (What we want to see here is what really happened, the state of her remains so we want to dig deeper, look deeper into the matter to look into whether there was foul play in her death so there was an NBI autopsy yesterday),” the official added.
In his talk with her family, Cacdac said that “we will not discount the possibility of foul play – it’s always there, it’s always a possibility” though it doesn’t mean it’s the truth.
He explained that criminal and civil cases could be filed but they have to be supported by the NBI autopsy results since Alvarado can no longer testify on her behalf.
“So, we will stand by the autopsy results. They are experts in this field, alam nila kung ano ang (they know the) internal and external signs of force or crime, the occurrence of a crime. Kaya’t sa ligal at sa siyensiya tayo mananalig (We will base our moves on legality and science),” he said.
The OFW died reportedly due to coal suffocation along with two other domestic workers—Sri Lankan and Nepalese nationals—in the vacation home of their Kuwaiti employer.
According to reports, the three turned the coal metal stove on because of the cold weather and died overnight because of coal inhalation.
“Ang findings ng NBI (The NBI findings, we will find out in the coming days,” Cacdac said, adding that it may take “a little bit more time” for the results to come out.
NBI authorities were also invited to a Senate inquiry “so hopefully the NBI can also shed light on the matter to provide a fuller report on their autopsy,” the DMW chief shared.
Meanwhile, the official said that they will investigate the private shipping service provider that mistakenly repatriated the remains of Alvarado’s Nepalese co-worker, misidentifying them as the OFW.
Citing the explanation from the service provider, Cacdac shared that the remains were repatriated without representatives from the DMW present.
“So, iyon ang pinatitingnan ko sa abogado natin (So, that’s what we are asking our lawyer to look into) and in due time we will find the appropriate claim and legal action with respect to the liability of the provider,” he said.
Cacdac also revealed plans to look into Alvarado’s employer if there was a “matter of negligence,” especially if the employer failed to guide or help the domestic worker.
“So, iyon ang isa ko ring pinasusuri sa abogado natin (that’s another thing I want our lawyer to look into) toward the possibility of filing a legal action against the employer,” he added.