Pinoy in fatal fall in UAE entitled to OWWA benefits

The relatives of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who fell several stories to his death from a building in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be entitled to the benefits due him as an Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) member. According to a report of Gulf News, Philippine Consul General to Dubai Benito Valeriano said the family of Reymond Labuga, 25, a documented worker, will get the benefits due his beneficiaries from the OWWA. Valeriano said they are waiting for the investigation into the death of Labuga to be finished before his remains could be repatriated to the Philippines. "We are aware of this case, but we have not issued the documents. Once we have the supporting papers and the investigation is completed, the Consulate General will issue a no-objection certificate for the repatriation of the body," Valeriano said in a report on news site Gulf News. Labuga reportedly fell several stories to his death while cleaning windows at Citadel Tower in Dubai's Business Bay district. The Gulf News report said Labuga had only been working for a week with Liverpool Cleaning Services when he fell to his death. It said the Philippine Consulate in Dubai indicated the death was due to "injuries as a result of the fall." Meanwhile, the Gulf News report said Labuga's sister Marife was in shock over his death, saying, "Reymond was a safety buff, so the news about his death came as a complete shock to me. He was our only brother." Marife said Reymond used to clean windows in high-rise buildings in the Philippines and trained Boy Scouts before going to Dubai to work two months ago. "He was a rope access expert and very experienced at what he does, so the news about his death from a fall came as devastating news. He was someone who would never complain… He was aware of the risks of the job. We were raised to be independent and we respected his decision to work in Dubai," the report quoted Marife as saying. Meanwhile, the report said Reymond's sister Christine, an architect, said the victim was into running, wall-climbing and mountaineering. " He's been away from us for just two months and now I can't believe he will be gone forever," Christine was quoted as saying. - VVP, GMA News