Remains of Pinay in Iraq fire to arrive Monday

The Filipina who died in a hotel fire in northern Iraq is expected to arrive in Manila Monday afternoon, July 19. Quoting the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad, the Department of Foreign affairs said the remains of Maricar Cente arrived in Amman, Jordan from Iraq Sunday, will depart for Doha, Qatar at 4 p.m. also on Sunday (9 p.m. Sunday in Manila), and continue on to Manila. Ali Mahti, a representative of the company Cente works for in Iraq, will accompany the her remains. Cente was a telecommunications engineer for Asiacell Mobile Co. in Sulaymaniyah City in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. She was one of at least 29 fatalities when Hotel Soma, where she was staying, caught fire on Friday morning (Manila time). http://www.gmanews.tv/story/196294/pinay-engineer-among-dead-in-iraq-hotel-fire The fire was caused by a short circuit in the electrical works of a nearby furniture store, according to the local police chief. It killed at least 29 people, nearly half of whom were foreigners. Four women and four children were among the dead, the police official added. According to the Philippine Embassy's Assistance to Nationals officer and attaché Donnie Fetalino, the repatriation of Cente's remains was facilitated by the embassy's representations to her employers. “Ms. Cente is not registered with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). Nonetheless, the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) instructed the Embassy last Friday to fast-track the repatriation of her remains with her company, at the latter's expense," the DFA said. It added that the embassy is likewise arranging for Cente's entitlement to other benefits. The DFA-OUMWA and OWWA meanwhile are in touch with her husband and family here, the DFA said. Two other Filipinos were injured in the fire, the DFA said, including Morelo Ermitano who is recovering from a broken leg in a hospital in Iraq, and Ritchie Salcedo who was discharged from the hospital Friday. A Filipino volunteer in the region is now caring for Ermitano and Salcedo, according to the DFA. The DFA-OUMWA has instructed the embassy to help the victims and coordinate with their employers for their entitlement to benefits. —VS, GMANews.TV