MANILA, April 12, 2013—Migrante Middle East had called on the government and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ Episcopal Commission on Migrant and Itinerant Peoples (ECMI) to investigate the mysterious death of a Filipino temporarily housed on a shelter managed by the Philippine Embassy in Bahrain.
In a press statement sent to CBCP News, Migrante-ME regional director John Leonard Monterona said that 31-year old Davaoeña, Kathleen Ann Viray Ilagan was found dead Wednesday, April 10, Middle East time. Ironically, the migrant rights’ advocate said, it was a Davao-based non-governmental organization (NGO), Center for Overseas Workers (COW) who had called their attention about Ilagan’s death.
“She was deployed [in Bahrain] by Manila-based agency named HRD Employment Consultant and Multi-Services Inc. as shown on her deployment documents according to her family. And, according to her kin, she left her job and sought the help of the Philippine Embassy there for immediate repatriation. Unfortunately, she’ll no longer see her home because she has already passed on,” Monterona told CBCP News via email.
The family, Monterona said, is doubtful over the reports that Ilagan had committed suicide due to depression.
“Based on the family’s statement, they said that Kathleen has no serious concerns that will push her to commit suicide. They also said, as per the last message that they had received from Kathleen before her untimely death is that she only wants to go home,” Monterona said.
Monterona, meanwhile, urges the Departments of Justice and Foreign Affairs to look onto the matter, while calling on the ECMI to “put pressure on the government to expedite the investigation” and to come up with concrete facts about the Filipina overseas worker’s death. [Noel Sales Barcelona/CBCP News]
