MANILA — The Philippine government is not accepting a report that Jelyn Arguzon, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who worked in Saudi Arabia, died of natural causes. 

According to Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers on Monday, the autopsy was conducted in Saudi.

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“Hindi po natin tinatanggap ito kaya ang next course of action is an autopsy here in the Philippines... Kapag lumitaw foul play, naka-activate ang lawyer on the ground at agad-agad magsasampa ng kaso," Cacdac said.

(We do not accept this so our next course of action is to conduct an autopsy here in the Philippines. If foul play is determined, our lawyer on the ground will immediately file a case.) 

The return of Arguzon’s remains to the Philippines is being processed this week. Once her remains arrive, an autopsy will be conducted with the results released in about one to two weeks. 

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega said they are ready to request Saudi authorities to conduct an investigation on the death of Arguzon if there is foul play.

“We will ask our lawyer to see if we could request, we will make a strongest request sa (to the) Saudi authority to conduct a formal investigation against the employer,” De Vega said.

He added that a case may also be filed against the hospital that looked into Arguzon’s death if it will be proven that it concealed the truth. 

Arguzon started work in Saudi on June 16 and died on July 19 in the house of her employer. 

Her husband, Jerriel Amatorio, told the committee that they could no longer reach her on the first week of July. 

Winnie Arguzon, Jelyn’s sister, reached out to her agency, Insana International Placement Agency, to ask for help in contacting her but an employee said they could not call her at that hour because of the time difference.

Winnie also requested to change her sister’s employer since Jelyn said the child of her employer had attitude problems. Insana told Winnie, however, that they could not do this.

A few days later, Winnie received the news that her sister had died.

AGENCY RESPONSIBILITY

Committee Chairman Senator Raffy Tulfo questioned Insana on how it dealt with Arguzon’s case since it already knew that her family could not reach her.

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“Hindi sumasagot worker, employer. Dapat doon nag-panic na kayo that there is something wrong,” Tulfo said.

(The worker and employer were not replying. You should have panicked then that there is something wrong.)

Insana president Leaniz De Vera Palcone said they immediately called the foreign recruitment agency that said they called the employer and was assured that she was doing fine. 

“Naniwala naman kayo uto-uto kayo (You believed it, you are gullible),” Tulfo said. 

Insana has already been suspended.

DMW Usec. Bernard Olalia said a recruitment agency’s license to operate can be cancelled. 

“Sa recruitment violation, maaaring makansela kung katulad nito yung di tamang pagmomonitor ay humantong sa kamatayan,” Olalia said. 

(A license can be cancelled if there was improper monitoring that led to a death.) 

One problem Amatorio mentioned was the confiscation of his wife’s passport upon arrival at her employer’s house. 

Olalia said this is against the bilateral labor agreement and should be reported to the labor attache. 

Unfortunately, the incident was not reported to DMW.

“Dapat po kukumustahin ng agency kung nakarating ang OFW sa bansang pupuntahan at kung sinundo ng employer at sasabihin din po ng OFW sa agency through monitoring system na okay ang kalagayan niya,” Olalia said.

(The agency should ask the OFW if he has reached his destination, if he was picked up by his employer, and the OFW will tell the agency about his condition through the monitoring system.) 

Tulfo pointed out that owners of suspended or cancelled agencies can just create a new agency and use other people’s names as incorporators. 

Olalia said, however, “Hindi lang ‘yung ahensya ang walang karapatan magbukas kundi pati officers at members of board mapupunta sa derogatory list at forever hindi na makaka-apply ng lisensya.” 

(The agency, officers and even members of the board will no longer have any right to open a recruitment agency and will be placed in the derogatory list and will forever be not allowed to apply for a license.) 

According to Cacdac, he has been strict in issuing licenses and has only signed seven licenses. 

“Rest assured, wala hong lumulusot sa akin na dumodoble, may derogatory record, may pinanggalingan na pera na kuwestiyonable,” Cacdac said.   

(Rest assured those who have derogatory records are not given licenses.)

 RIOLYN SAYSON

 Another OFW in Saudi who has died is Riolyn Sayson. 

Sayson started working in Saudi in October 2023. In December of that year, she was already complaining to her husband that she was being maltreated as she was only allowed to eat once a day and was locked in her room. 

She died on July 16, 2024 and according to the medical report, the cause was cardiac arrest. 

Joselyn Raneses, an official of the Myriad Human Resource and Services, Inc, the recruitment agency of Sayson, said she underwent a medical checkup before leaving and was declared fit to work. 

Asked by Tulfo if recruitment agencies allow workers to leave even if they have health conditions, Raneses answered in the affirmative but clarified that they are not into this practice. 

Olalia admitted that they have encountered some of these instances, but are already investigating. 

Cacdac called this an illegal act. “There will be penalty, criminal penalty.” 

Lucita Sermonia, President of the Coalition of Licensed Agencies for Domestic, Service and Skilled Workers (CLADS) said recruiters are not into this practice because it will backfire on them since they need to spend for the repatriation of an OFW if he is found to be sick once he undergoes another medical checkup in a foreign country. 

Meanwhile, Cacdac said they are strengthening the electronic system between different agencies of government where OFWs and agencies can report their status.

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