Murder of OFW in Kuwait sparks outrage in Cagayan de Oro, calls for House probe

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – The murder of a Kagay-anon domestic helper in Kuwait has sparked public outrage in Cagayan de Oro and renewed calls for a congressional inquiry into the perils faced by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Gulf state.

Dafnie Nacalaban, 35, had dreamt of a brighter future for her family. She had been planning to return home to Mindanao last December, just in time for the holidays, to start building their dream house. She had even begun estimating construction costs. But her plans were tragically cut short.

By late November, her relatives in the rural village of Dansolihon in Cagayan de Oro and in Molave town in Zamboanga del Sur grew anxious after losing contact with her. Their worst fears were confirmed on New Year’s Eve when they received a devastating call from one of Nacalaban’s children: she was dead.

Her decomposing remains were discovered buried in a garden in a residential area in Saad Al-Abdullah in Jahra, Kuwait, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has confirmed.

The Cagayan de Oro-based Mindanao Gold Star Daily reported that Kuwaiti authorities were preparing to charge a couple with concealing premeditated murder in connection with Nacalaban’s death.

According to initial reports, the suspects surrendered to authorities through the intervention of one of their relatives. However, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has yet to release their names, leaving key details of the case unclear.

On Thursday, January 2, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) in Northern Mindanao also confirmed that the victim was a native of Dansolihon, Cagayan de Oro.

“This is gruesome!” exclaimed Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez, expressing horror at the crime. 

The tragedy has left Nacalaban’s family mourning. The victim’s elder sister, Roxan Enloran, could barely contain her grief as she recounted the devastating news of her younger sister’s murder. 

“We cannot yet accept what happened to her,” Gold Star quoted Enloran as saying, remembering her sister as kind, reserved, and someone who rarely spoke unless spoken to.

Nacalaban had built a quiet life in Molave, Zamboanga del Sur, with her partner and their child. But their partnership posed an unexpected hurdle: the lack of a marriage certificate has stalled efforts to process the repatriation of her remains.

Not the first time

Rodriguez called for a congressional inquiry into Nacalaban’s death and the ongoing risks faced by OFWs in Kuwait. 

“This is not the first time that something like this has happened,” Rodriguez said, alluding to other tragic cases that have plagued OFWs in recent years.

In early 2023, the Philippines made a dramatic decision: halting the deployment of first-time Filipino domestic workers to Kuwait. The move came after the gruesome death of Jullebee Ranara, a 34-year-old domestic worker allegedly murdered by the 17-year-old son of her Kuwaiti employer.

Based on Arab media reports, Ranara was raped, impregnated, run over, burned, and her body abandoned in the desert. The accused minor was apprehended, but the case sent shockwaves across the Philippines and reignited longstanding concerns about the safety of OFWs in the Middle East.

Despite the ban on first-time domestic workers, the Philippines continued to allow new deployments of skilled workers and those with existing contracts. However, tensions escalated with Kuwait’s retaliatory decision to block all non-resident Filipinos from entering the country.

In Kuwait alone, the Philippine embassy documented nearly 6,000 cases of mistreatment in 2017, and in 2020, overseas labor offices reported 4,302 cases of maltreatment of OFWs in the Middle East, a figure cited by Senator Joel Villanueva. Yet, the true extent of the abuse likely remains underreported. 

‘How can this happen again?’

Rodriguez called on the House committee on overseas Filipino workers affairs to look into how the government has enforced the 2023 restrictions and strict regulations set following Ranara’s death.

“One of the measures is to regularly monitor the situation of the OFWs there. So, how can something like this happen again?” he told Rappler on Monday, January 6.

Gold Star reported that the last time the family heard from Nacalaban was October 29, 2024, and she had been excited about returning home in December, hoping to surprise the family. 

Enloran said her sister never complained about her employer, recalling that their video calls often revolved around family stories and plans for the future. 

Cagayan de Oro Councilor George Goking minced no words, calling Nacalaban’s murder “offensive” and an “affront not only to Kagay-anons but to the entire Filipino people.” 

Goking, whose remarks reflected the simmering outrage in the community over the brutal killing of one of their own, urged the local government to explore ways to support Nacalaban’s grieving family. 

He also said he would raise the matter with fellow local legislators, considering a resolution to formally register Cagayan de Oro’s strong condemnation of the crime. 

“This is not just a tragedy for her family – it’s a wound on our collective dignity as a community and as a nation,” Goking said.

Coordination

Rodriguez said the DMW was taking steps to repatriate the remains of Nacalaban to Mindanao. The department had already reached out to her partner and daughter in Molave, Zamboanga del Sur, ensuring they were updated and supported.

He said efforts were also underway to establish contact with Nacalaban’s siblings in Dansolihon, a rural barangay in Cagayan de Oro, where she had grown up. 

“The DMW has yet to decide whether the remains would be brought to Cagayan de Oro or Molave. We are doing everything we can to coordinate with her family and provide the assistance they need during this difficult time,” Rodriguez said.

He said the DMW is awaiting the full official report from Kuwaiti police and has enlisted a Kuwaiti lawyer to prosecute the suspects. – Rappler.com