Palace orders DOLE to resolve mix-up over remains of OFW

Malacañang on Saturday ordered the Department of Labor and Employment to take steps to resolve a mix-up where the relatives of an overseas Filipino worker who died in Saudi Arabia were sent the wrong body. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said what happened was a “terrible, terrible" mistake that added pain to the family of the deceased. “Namatayan na nga, nagkamali ng katawan. We will ask the DOLE to assist them to make sure the particular person is identified and the remains are delivered to the family," he said on government-run dzRB radio. Earlier, Philippine officials in Saudi Arabia have started investigating how the family of OFW Danneily Ubungen was sent the wrong body. The Philippine Embassy had hinted some of the responsibility may fall on the employer. It pointed out that under Saudi law, the “shipment of remains of an expatriate worker who died in the Kingdom is the responsibility of the sponsor." “Not only is the employer obliged to obtain all documents required for the shipment, but should also secure the flight to the Philippines. It is also the duty of the employer to proceed to the hospital morgue to release the deceased’s human remains and transport it to the airport," the embassy said. For now, the Embassy said it is now coordinating with both the sponsor and the shipper “in an effort to ascertain where the mistake occurred." Migrante Middle East said Ubungen had died in Saudi Arabia last June. It said Ubengen, along other three fellow co-workers, died in an acetylene tank explosion at their work shop. The group added that what Ubengen’s family got were the remains of Ubengen’s Turkish co-worker. — LBG, GMA News