Senator Raffy Tulfo on Tuesday, January 21, called for a deployment ban to Kuwait following the recent deaths of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) here.
"This is what I want you to do, even if I have to talk to the President about this and I will, ibalik natin siguro yung ban. Wala na munang new deployment. Stop. Yung mga nandun ngayon, may kontrata, so be it...Kaya lang, wala nang bago (we should reimpose the ban. No new deployment for the meantime. Stop. Those who are there, with contracts, so be it..But no new ones)," Tulfo said as he presided over the hearing of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers.
He mentioned during the hearing the cases of Jullebee Ranara, whose body was burned and found in a desert in 2023; Joanna Demafelis, who was killed and stuffed in a freezer by her employers in 2018; Constancia Lago Dayag, who died at the hands of her employer in May 2019; and Jeanelyn Villavende, who was killed by her female employer due to jealousy in December 2019.
The latest was the killing of Dafnie Nacalaban, who was found dead last December 31 at the house of a Kuwaiti citizen; and Jenny Alvarado, who allegedly died because of suffocation last January 2.
In relation to this, Tulfo also stated that employers should undergo a neurological exam as a form of evaluation and screening.
In response to these, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said he would require an accounting of all the OFWs, especially the domestic workers in Kuwait at this stage.
"Kasi sabi niyo nga po pagbawalan yung papasok pero meron pang mga nandun, so ang nasa sa isip ko po iaccount for each and every kasambahay, kamustahin sila, dapat malinaw na nasa maayos silang kondisyon bago pa man tayo magpatuloy at this stage (As you mentioned, while we want to restrict new arrivals, there are still many who are already there. So, I believe we should account for each and every domestic worker, check on their well-being, and ensure that they are in good condition before we move forward at this stage)," Cacdac said.
He also agreed that there should be psychological screening or a level of determining whether an employer is qualified or not.
"Hindi lamang yan sa side ng ating kababayan, dapat mayroon ding pre-employment briefing ang employer kaya haharap siya, bago pa man umalis haharap siya sa ating labor attache at migrant workers office at dun ipapakilala niya yung sarili niya (It's not just on the side of our fellow citizens; employers should also conduct a pre-employment briefing. They need to meet with our labor attaché and the migrant workers' office before leaving, where they will introduce themselves)," the DMW chief stated.
"The technology, I suppose, will now permit na mag-usap sila habang nandidito sa Pilipinas yung domestic worker at siya'y naroroon sa kuwait para magkakitaan na sila sa mukha at sa mata bago pa man umalis. So yan po ang nasa sa isip ko ngayon, Mr. Chair (I believe the technology now allows them to communicate while the domestic worker is here in the Philippines and he is there in Kuwait, so they can see each other face to face before he leaves. That's what I'm thinking about right now, Mr. Chair)," he added.
Possible 'foul play' in Jenny Alvarado's death
Tulfo also asked the DMW, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) as well as the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), to investigate the possibility of foul play in the death of Jenny Alvarado.
This was after Angel Alvarado Calisin, one of Jenny's daughters revealed details of abuse that her mother went through during the Senate hearing.
She disclosed that in 2023, her mother told her that she would always get locked up inside her employer's residence whenever the latter would go out. She added that her mother didn't want authorities told about this since her employer was protecting her reputation as a teacher.
Her other daughter, Nathania Mae Alvarado Fernandez on the other hand, found out from her mother's friends that she also experienced abuse under her employer.
"Yung mga kaibigan niya po is kinocontact kami about dun po sa details ng amo niya and then sinasabi daw po is yung amo niya ay hinihipuan din siya (Her friends contacted us about the details regarding my mother's employer, and they said that she told them that her employer has been touching her as well)," she said.
"Kasi yung nanay namin ay hindi po siya nagsasabi samin kasi ayaw niya na kumbaga ayaw niyang iparamdam samin na nahihirapan siya dun (Because our mother refused to tell us, since she doesn't want us to feel that she's having a hard time there)," she added.
Ngayon ko lang po nadinig yung impormasyon na ganun at ah Pwede po natin patignan. Si jenny po ay 9 years ng ofw sa kuwait. I understand same employer since 2015 at nagbakasyon pa ho siya last year dito sa Pilipinas of course they're saying very limited yung duration nung bakasyon , isang linggong lang. but she did go on vacation here was it March? March last year.
Cacdac said that this is the first time that he heard about this and will have this looked at.
Alvarado 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 Dr. Simon Gasapo of the Medico-Legal Division of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), based on their initial findings, there was redness in the trachea or the airway.
The toxicology report also showed that there was carbon monoxide present in Alvarado's blood. For the cause of death, he said that she died from asphyxia due to inhalation of respirable gases specifically carbon monoxide.
Angel said that the information that her mother died after opening the coal metal stove came from her employer and disclosed her mother didn't like "faham" or coal.
"Pinaka-hate po ni mama yung faham kasi may sensitive smell po siya, magigising po yun sa baho ng amoy at hate niya rin po yung amoy ng mga isda, so imposible na hindi nagising ang mama namin that time (My mom really hates faham and the smell of fish because she has a sensitive nose. She would wake up from the bad odor, so there's no way she didn't wake up at that time)," she added.
Tulfo said that it's becoming increasingly clear to him now that they should investigate the angle of foul play.
"I believe strongly na may foul play dito (I strongly believe that there is foul play involved here)," he added.