By Daisy CL Mandap
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| The deceased was found lifeless by friends in her boarding house on Lamma Island |
A longtime Filipina domestic worker who was found lifeless
in her boarding house on
The deceased, V.S., who was 64 years old and had worked
abroad for more than 30 years, was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead
on arrival, apparently from a stroke. Her body is now in
Her daughter, She Limon, said she only learned about her mother’s visa status from the police. She said she never had an inkling that her mother was carrying this secret, and for how long.
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“Malihim po kasi siya talaga. Hindi palakwento,” said Limon, who is 34 years old and is a migrant worker herself. (She was really secretive and did not share a lot of stories).
What she knew, said Limon, was that her mother had a longtime employer on record, but was allowed to do parttime work on the island.
Since she has two daughters of her own to support, Limon said her mother would sometimes give money for her children, but largely kept her earnings for herself.
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They had reportedly agreed to go home for good in their hometown of Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, next year, as the deceased wanted to spend time with her grandchildren whom she only saw via video chats.
During these talks, the deceased would tell her daughter that she
would be surprised with the money she had been saving up for that return.
However, her sudden death left Limon with no clue as to whether her mother was telling
the truth, or just said those words to keep her from worrying about her stay in
“Hindi naman siya maluho,” said Limon, so she assumed her mother was indeed saving up for her eventual retirement. (She was not a frivolous spender).
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| V.S.' remains are at Victoria Public Mortuary in Kennedy Town |
But at the time of her death, her mother only had about $60 in her purse, said Limon. She also saw that her mother still had the old HKID card, indicating her overstay status, despite telling her and their mutual friends that she already had it changed to the new smart one.
Another indication of her overstay status was her failure to take maintenance medicines for her high blood pressure recently, probably because she could no longer get them for free without a work visa.
Her mother’s untimely death has left.Limon worried about the costs of
repatriating her remains back to the
Limon says she has not been able to save up much herself, she said, as she has been separated from her husband and provides solely for her two children.
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After learning about her mother’s death, Limon immediately went to the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section to seek advice on repatriating her remains. As she was an only child, she had asked her estranged father to receive her mother’s body, and he reportedly agreed.
Limon said she could not go home to accompany her mother’s body as her visa is expiring and she does not want to give up her job here yet.
But with no employer to pay for her mother’s repatriation, Limon is now left to deal alone with the potential expenses.
She said ATN had told her that the Department of Foreign
Affairs could pay for the body’s repatriation to the
Told that cremation is a less costly option, she said she’d consider it, especially since she cannot go home herself and they do not have close family members who could supervise the funeral back home.
Asked about her concerns, Consul Paul Saret, who heads ATN, said, “We’ll request for ATN fund upon submission of basic documents, like proof of death.”
Consul Saret also took the opportunity to again appeal to those who have overstayed their visas to surrender immediately so they could go home and be freed of worries.
This comes amid another serious case of overstay brought to ATN’s attention recently, involving a Filipina DH who had to be rushed to hospital last month because of profuse bleeding. It turned out she has stage 2 cervical cancer, for which she is still being treated for free at the Consulate’s intercession.
Her fate after treatment, however, hangs in the balance.
Immigration has often warned people with temporary visas in
Offenders are liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties.
However, the penalty could be greatly reduced if an overstayer surrenders instead of hiding until he or she is found out and arrested
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