Body of OFW killed in Iran to arrive Monday

For Perlita Carmen, fetching her son at the airport on the wee hours of Monday will be a sad and happy affair. Happy because she will finally be able to see Mark Lloyd; sad because he will be coming home in a box. “Magkahalong saya na makukuha na namin ang katawan niya, at lungkot, mas maraming lungkot, ang nararamdaman ko ngayon. Buhay namin siyang inihatid noon, ngayon bangkay na namin siyang susunduin," Perlita told GMANews.TV in a phone interview Sunday. (I’m happy that we’ll finally have his body. But I’m sad also. In fact, sadder than before. He was alive when we brought him to the airport. Now we’re going to fetch his body.) Mark Lloyd, a 24-year-old overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in the United Arab Emirates, was stabbed by a Sudanese during an argument in a hotel in Kish Island last July 1. He reportedly bled to death after his roommates, observing Iran’s law, failed to bring him to the hospital. Under Iran’s law, only local authorities are allowed to take a crime victim to any medical facility. Migrante International, a migrants’ rights group, said Mark Lloyd died 10 minutes after he arrived at a hospital — two hours after he was stabbed. Mark Lloyd, a resident of Bicutan in Taguig City, had been staying at the hotel on the island since June 11 while waiting for a new tourist visa so that he could re-enter the United Arab Emirates. He left behind a wife and two children, the youngest being only seven months old. Waiting in vain Last week, Perlita waited in vain for her son’s arrival, as Mark Lloyd’s remains were originally scheduled to arrive in the country last Friday. In a statement posted on its website, the Philippine Department of Affairs (DFA) explained the sudden change of schedule. “The remains were originally scheduled to arrive on Friday, but since government offices [in Iran] are usually closed on Thursday and Friday, the remains were brought out from the mortuary on Saturday for checking and loading to the airplane. It was only then that the flight details were confirmed," said Charge d’ Affairs Mariano Dumia. Perlita said her son’s remains will arrive 1 a.m. Monday. The DFA statement said the repatriation costs were paid from the department’s Assistance to Nationals fund. Reimbursement? But Perlita said she was made to sign an affidavit stating that she will pay for the autopsy of her son as well as the cost of the repatriation. “’Yun daw kasi ang policy, na i-shoulder muna ng DFA provided na icha-charge sa amin in the future (They said that’s the policy, the DFA will shoulder the costs in the meantime provided that we will reimburse them in the future)," she said. She said this was because Mark Lloyd was considered “undocumented" by the Philippine government as he only had a tourist visa when he was killed. According to her, the DFA had assured her that it was just a “formality" so that the repatriation process could be started. The affidavit does not indicate the amount and deadline of payment, Perlita said. She said based on information from a relative in Iran who earlier visited the Philippine Embassy there, the costs could reach as much as P360,000, or 20,000 riyals for the autopsy and 10,000 riyals for the plane ticket. "Bahala na" Perlita said she signed the affidavit to avoid further delay in her son’s repatriation. “Hindi ko na inisip. Pinirmahan ko na, para lang hindi na magtagal pa roon ang katawan ng anak ko. Bahala na kung mabayaran (I didn’t think much about it. I signed it so my son’s body would be repatriated at the soonest possible time. I’m not sure if I would be able to pay for it)," she said. Perlita expressed gratitude to Migrante and Taguig Rep. Freddie Tinga for assisting her and pressuring the DFA to attend to the immediate repatriation of her son’s remains. According to her, Mark Lloyd’s wake will only be for two nights in a tent beside the village hall. Tinga is shouldering Mark Lloyd’s wake and burial, which is tentatively set on Wednesday morning. - KBK, GMANews.TV