Interpol on the lookout for employers of Pinay found in freezer in Kuwait

Interpol is on the lookout for the employers of Joanna Daniela Demafelis, the Filipina found dead inside a freezer in an abandoned apartment in Hawalli, Kuwait this week.

In a report by JP Soriano on "24 Oras" on Friday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs confirmed that Interpol is looking for Dimapilis' male Lebanese employer and his Syrian wife in Lebanon.

Demafelis' employers fled Kuwait in November 2016 because of cases related to fake checks.

Officials from the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait have also met with police and forensic doctors. A lawyer was also sent to the Embassy to help with the case of the domestic worker from Iloilo.

Before her mysterious death, Demafelis complained about maltreatment she allegedly suffered at the hands of her employers to other OFWs.

Labor Sec. Silvestre Bello III said the repatriation of her body will be delayed as police are struggling to extract DNA to determine her cause of death.

"In the meantime, medyo ma-delay 'yung repatriation dahil kailangan malaman nila 'yung cause of her death. Eh kailangan dito DNA testing. Eh mukhang sumobra ata ang pagka-frozen ng katawan ng ating kababayan kaya medyo natagalan," he said.

A technical working group composed of labor officials will be sent to Kuwait soon to finalize a memorandum of understanding between the Philippines and the Arab country to ensure the safety of Filipino overseas contract workers.

The suspension on the deployment of new hires and processing of overseas employment certificates (OECs) to Kuwait remains in effect.

Some 62 Filipino overseas contract workers were repatriated from Kuwait on Friday morning. Most were runaways or Filipinos who escaped from their place of employment.

An estimated 250,000 Filipino contract workers are currently working in Kuwait. —Rie Takumi/JST, GMA News