Husband asks President Duterte to find his missing wife in Kuwait

TACURONG CITY, Philippines — An emotional husband is asking President Rodrigo Duterte to help him find his missing wife in Kuwait.

Rogelio Padilla, 48, farmer,  from Barangay Kalanawe, President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat, is asking the help of Duterte to find his wife in Kuwait as they lost contact since 2014.

Padilla  revealed his wife Maricel Agustin Padilla, 43, mother of two, left their town in  2011 to work as domestic helper in Kuwait.

She last contacted her family late  2013. Since then, the family is at lost of her whereabouts.

“Presidente Rodrigo Duterte sana matulungan ninyo ako na mahanap at makabalik dito sa amin ang aking asawa,” the teary-eyed husband pleaded.

Maricel was sent to Kuwait through the Tacurong office of MMML, the recruitment agency which  processed her papers.

Padilla is also asking the help of the recruitment agency.

Maricel left the country in the hope of sending her children to school and to augment the family income.

“Pinayagan ko siya na mag-abroad para kahit papaano makapag-ipon kami,” Padilla narrated.

The Demafiles case

When the story of  OFW Joanna Demafiles, a domestic helper who was suspected killed by her Lebanese employer, was found inside a freezer in Kuwait   broke off, Padilla’s fear about his wife’s  status worsen.

“Nang malaman ko ang nangyari sa OFW na si Demafiles, natakot ako baka may nangyari din sa kanya kaya,  hindi na siya nag contak sa amin,”  Padilla said.

He recalled, in 2014 he saw the photo of his wife sitting inside her employer’s house in the  Facebook account of her fellow OFW in Kuwait named “Alina Jane Ramos.”

Padilla said,  he never had issue with his wife, their last communication was  filled with happiness.

READ : (duterte-bans-ofw-deployment-to-kuwait-185-deaths-recorded-in-2-years)

The OWWA document

A check with OWWA Marbel, South Cotabato  showed that Maricel was legally deployed.

Marlyn Jamero, officer-in-charge of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Central Mindanao region, said Padilla’s wife use the family name “Agustin” not Padilla in her documents.

Jamero said when Padilla’s wife left for Kuwait in 2011, Maricel declared she is “single” and her travel was  documented.

Asked whether Agustin is still an active OFW as per list of OWWA, Jamero revealed  “she is an inactive member now.”

According to Jamero, Agustin status has been inactive since 2013 because she did not renew her OWWA membership.

Jamero said OWWA has already sent letters, requesting assistance to the Kuwait government and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), regarding the case of Padilla’s wife.

She said they are now establishing contact to the local branch of MMML based in Tacurong City.

Cases of lost OFW’s in Kuwait started to increase when President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the repatriation on February 9, when he announced the OFW deployment ban in Kuwait.

Data from OWWA Central Mindanao showed, as of 2017,  a total of 489,989 overseas Filipino workers applied membership to OWWA in the entire Central Mindanao region.

“The data represent both the active and inactive members,” Jamero said.

Almost 3,000 overseas Filipino workers from the said region are working in Kuwait, according to Jamero.-Ramil H. Bajo/Newsline.Ph