Flag of Kuwait (Unsplash)

Two House members sought on Tuesday, Jan. 7 an investigation on the suspicious death of 35-year-old overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Dafnie Nacalaban in Kuwait.

Both Cagayan de Oro City 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and OFW Party-list Rep. Marissa “Del Mar” Magsino expressed great sadness and concern over the incident.

The Nacalabans are constituents of Rodriguez in Cagayan de Oro.

In HousecResolution No. 2151, the Mindanao congressman said his OFW constituent had died under “suspicious circumstances.”

Rodriguez said Nacalaban has been employed in Kuwait as a household service worker since December 2019. He said that in October last year, her employer reported her missing.

Three months later, or last Dec. 31, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced that the OFW’s body was found buried in the yard of her employer’s home in Saad Al-Abdullah, Jahra, Kuwait.

“It was reported that the suspect in her killing was said to have also killed his Filipina girlfriend a few months earlier,” Rodriguez said.

“As a sign of her dedication to building a brighter future for her loved ones, Dafnie Nacalaban had planned to come home in December 2024 to live with her family and construct a house,” he said.

Rodriguez pointed out that his constituent’s “premature and tragic passing brings to light the dangers many OFWs, especially those in vulnerable circumstances like household workers, suffer".

He added that what happened to Nacalaban was “not an isolated incident, as previous reports of abuse, maltreatment and death of OFWs abroad continue to surface, demanding immediate and sustained government action.”

The veteran congressman noted that in Kuwait in particular, Filipinos workers have to endure harsh and inhumane treatment from employers, prompting the government at one time to suspend deployment there of OFWs until employment conditions improved.

“We urge the Kuwaiti government to conduct an exhaustive and an impartial investigation of the death of Dafnie Nacalaban, and to offer better employment terms for our OFWs,” he said.

For her part, Magsino said she "strongly condemns the grim death" of Nacalaban in Kuwait.

"Nanawagan ako ng isang masusing imbestigasyon upang mabigyang-liwanag ang mga detalye ng trahedyang ito at upang masigurong mabibigyan ng hustisya ang ating kababayan," said the neophyte solon.

(I'm calling for a thorough investigation to shed light on the details of this tragedy and to ensure that the family of our countryman will attain justice.)

"Kasabay nito, hinihimok ko ang Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) at ang [DFA] na palakasin ang kanilang mga hakbang upang tiyaking ligtas ang ating mga manggagawa sa high-risk countries tulad ng Kuwait," added Magsino.

(Along with this, I urge the DMW and the DFA to intensify efforts in ensuring the safety of our workers in high-risk countries like Kuwait.)