House probe sought on repatriation of wrong OFW remains

Lawmakers have called for a congressional investigation into the erroneous repatriation of the remains of overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Jenny Alvarado.

House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro (ACT Teachers party-list), House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas (Gabriela party-list), and Rep. Raoul Manuel (Kabataan party-list) filed House Resolution 2213, urging a probe into the incident.

Alvarado died of coal suffocation in Kuwait on January 2, along with two other domestic workers from Sri Lanka and Nepal. Her employer informed her family on January 3 that repatriation would be delayed due to an autopsy.

Authorities later confirmed her remains would arrive on January 10, but when the casket was opened at a Cavite funeral home, Alvarado’s five children discovered the remains were not hers.

“Much to the horror of Jenny's family, the body inside the casket was not of Jenny’s, but of someone they did not know at all. Upon seeing the body in the casket, the five children repeatedly cried out, “That's not our mother!’” the Resolution said.

Despite demands, representatives from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) allegedly failed to provide an immediate explanation. 

Alvarado’s actual remains only arrived in the Philippines on January 16. 

It was also alleged that, contrary to her employer’s claim, no autopsy had been conducted in Kuwait. Instead, bruises were found on her back and behind her knees.

“The death of Jenny remains a shocking and confusing event for her family, and this has been exacerbated by the unexplained exchange of Jenny's remains to that of another person's," the lawmakers said. 

"The subsequent 'mistake' of the DMW and OWWA in the transport of the wrong body to the Philippines and the lack of communication with the family in properly identifying Jenny before her remains were repatriated back raises questions on the handling of death cases of OFWs and how government agencies should coordinate with their families.”

They thus urged the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs to investigate the incident to ensure accountability and improve protocols for repatriating deceased OFWs.

Alvarado, who worked in Kuwait for at least eight years, was laid to rest on January 26. — DVM, GMA Integrated News