Remains of OFW from Israel arrive home

THE remains of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) killed by Hamas militants at the onset of their conflict with Israel arrived in Manila on Saturday.

The body of Loreta Alacre was on board Etihad flight EY424 from Tel Aviv, Israel, which landed in Manila at about 5 p.m. She will be taken to her home province in Negros Occidental on Sunday.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said the female caregiver was one of four OFWs killed when the war erupted following an attack by Hamas in southern Israel, near the Gaza border, on Oct. 7, 2023. She refused to leave her patient, an elderly Israeli citizen, when their kibbutz was peppered with bullets.

Meanwhile, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) identified the fourth fatality in the Israel-Hamas war as Mary Grace Prodigo-Cabrera, who was also a caregiver at Israel’s Kibbutz Be’eri for the past four years.

She was killed after being abducted by the Palestinian terror group on October 7.

Cabrera, of Maasin town in Iloilo province, was the fourth Filipino to be killed in Israel after Alacre, Angeline Aguirre, a nurse, and Paul Vincent Castelvi, a 42-year-old caregiver.

In a press briefing, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said Cabrera was among the three reported missing Filipinos since the Hamas militants launched a surprise attack against Israel.

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega. Photo from PCO 

He said Cabrera’s body was left in the desert, and authorities were able to identify Cabrera through her fingerprints.

Cabrera’s sister, Mary June Prodigo, a caregiver in Kibbutz Be’eri, was also kidnapped but was rescued along with the child she was caring for inside a bomb shelter.

“No words can explain the pain I feel right now. I lost my sister / best friend… I thought you would still come back to us. I’m not ready. We have so many plans in mind, and there are so many things you would like to share with me,” Mary June said in a Facebook post.

Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. said the provincial government will extend financial assistance to the bereaved family.

“We have already spoken with the family, and we are ready to give assistance to the family,” he said in a press conference on Friday.

He also confirmed that another OFW from Janiuay town had been rescued from the conflict zone in Palestine’s Gaza Strip.

Defensor said he was also closely coordinating with the DMW and the OWWA regarding the situation of other Ilonggo OFWs in Israel and Palestine.

Data from the provincial government showed that there are 207 OFWs from Iloilo in Israel.

2nd batch of OFWs arrives home

A second batch of 18 OFWs from Israel returned home Friday.

The 14 caregivers and four hotel workers arrived at 3:55 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 via Etihad EY 424.

DMW Undersecretary Maria Anthonette Allones said in a media briefing that eight of the 18 OFWs needed immediate medical assistance.

Allones also confirmed that the OFW, who was supposed to be part of the first group that left Israel but was left behind in Abu Dhabi for health considerations, returned with the second batch.

“She was offloaded by the airline due to high blood pressure, experienced chest pain. She was given first aid in the hospital,” she said.

Elmer Puno, a caregiver who worked in Israel for two years, said he had been traumatized by the sound of loud sirens, prompting him to terminate his contract and seek assistance from the government.

“Every time I hear the loud sirens, I will immediately run to the shelter. My wife and my children were also scared whenever they heard the explosions through calls, so they asked me to go home. I’m also afraid that I might not be able to go home,” said Puno, a former salesman in the Philippines.

The OFWs were attended to by Consul Marford Angeles of the Philippine Embassy to the United Arab Emirates (PE-UAE), along with Labor Attache Teresa Olgado and Assistant Labor Attache Jesus Vicente Magsaysay of the Migrant Workers Office in Abu Dhabi.

They have also received financial assistance of P50,000 from the DMW, another P50,000 from OWWA, P20,000 worth of livelihood assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and skills training vouchers from Technical Education and Skills and Development Authority (Tesda).

Distressed OFWs

In another development, the DMW brought home 90 distressed OFWs with three children and six wards from Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

The OFWs were on board Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight PR655, which landed at the NAIA Terminal 3 at 1:15 p.m.

The Migrant Workers Office in Riyadh (MWO-Riyadh) arranged for their flight.

The agency said before leaving Saudi Arabia, the returning workers were given $200 each as initial monetary support drawn from the department’s Aksyon Fund.

Upon arrival, the OFWs were also assisted by the OWWA’s Repatriation Assistance Division (OWWA-RAD) and received a support package of benefits that includes financial assistance from the DMW and OWWA, medical check-up and referral services, as well as psychosocial evaluation and assessment.

OWWA will also provide transit services for the OFWs to their respective homes in Metro Manila or nearby provinces and overnight hotel accommodations for those who have flights the next day.