DMW chief to fly to Abu Dhabi to look into death of OFW

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac will go to Abu Dhabi this week to personally look into the death of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) there.

Cacdac told GMA News Online that he will fly to the UAE to check on the case of Mary Jill Muya, 44, who was found lifeless inside her room in Abu Dhabi on December 31, 2025.

“We will arrive in Dubai in the early morning of January 9th,” Cacdac said.

He added that they are “still waiting for the official release of the forensic report” from the police.

Philippine ambassador to the UAE Alfonso Ver said the remains of the OFW will be repatriated as soon as the necessary paperwork is completed.

Ver previously said the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) at the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi has yet to make arrangements to return Muya’s remains to the Philippines pending the issuance of a death notification from the mortuary.

“Once the notification of death, death certificates and other documentary requirements have been issued, we can process the repatriation of the remains,” he said.

Ver declined to speculate on the cause of death as he said he will wait for the results of the police’s investigation.

A native of Jaro, Iloilo City, Muya spent two decades in Abu Dhabi as an OFW.

According to records of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), however, Muya did not renew her membership with the agency since 2022. — JMA, GMA Integrated News