THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday said the remains of overseas Filipino domestic worker Jullebee Ranara, whose burnt corpse was found in a desert in Kuwait is set to be repatriated Friday night.

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said Ranara’s employer agreed to shoulder the cost of the repatriation.

“The embassy has already worked with the employer so that the remains would be brought home, and that would be Friday night,” he said.

De Vega said the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait has also provided a lawyer to handle the case and would continue to work with Kuwaiti authorities to bring justice to Ranara.

Ranara’s charred body, with the skull smashed, was recovered by the Kuwaiti police at the Salmi, Al-Jarah Governorate on Jan. 21.

The 17-year-old suspect, who is the son of Ranara’s employer, is now in police custody.

Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople earlier said Ranara’s mother was initially informed by the late Filipina that she was being “threatened” by her employer’s son.

In a statement, Ople said, “We appreciate the good intentions behind the calls to impose a deployment ban to Kuwait. But I have always believed in social dialog as the all-important first step in resolving labor migration concerns, said Migrant Secretary Susan Ople in the statements. It does not mean we are insensitive to such calls. It only means that for now, we wish to resort to labor diplomacy to add more safeguards and ensure that justice is pursued on behalf of Jullebee and her family,”

“There is a working, productive relationship between the Philippines and Kuwait that can be further enhanced not by imposing a deployment ban but by revisiting the existing Bilateral Labor Agreement (BLA).

A new BLA would extend additional protection for our OFWs. We can accomplish more to protect our workers with the cooperation of the Kuwaiti government,” Ople added. BY CRISTINA LEE-PISCO & JUN I. LEGASPI

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Cristina Lee-Pisco