Family claims remains of Filipino killed in Iraq

The remains of Niceforo Idulsa, the overseas Filipino worker who was killed in a rocket attack in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone on May 2, arrived in Manila Tuesday night, GMA News’ Saksi reported. Idulsa, 38, was killed along with two co-workers from Nepal and another from India. The four were maintenance crew for Taylor Company, an American contractor in Baghdad. Idulsa is a native of Bilar, Bohol in Central Visayas. His wife Teresita and sons Chevary and Nitchivan claimed his remains when it arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport shortly before 7 p.m. onboard Emirates Airlines flight 3332 from Kuwait. The DFA initially had difficulty tracking Idulsa's next of kin, saying the information in his travel papers were not updated and he was considered an undocumented worker. When Idulsa left the country last year, a ban on the deployment to Iraq was already in effect. The Philippine government enforced the ban in 2004 following the abduction of a truck driver from Pampanga. Teresita said she was aware of the risks her husband faced in Iraq and that was the reason she was prodding him to return home. But Teresita said her husband insisted on staying in Iraq because he wanted to give his sons a bright future. Foreign Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr took the occasion to reiterate an appeal to jobseekers to avoid going to Iraq. “I appeal again to our OFWs that it’s not worth it if your life is put in danger," he said. Idulsa left for Kuwait in February last year then proceeded to Iraq after three weeks. The Philippine government has admitted being helpless in enforcing a deployment ban to Iraq. Conejos said Iraq is a landlocked country with entry points in Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Jordan. Filipino workers currently in Iraq said there are about 20,000 Filipinos there, mostly working in US-controlled military camps. They said they are forced to stay there despite the dangers because of the high salaries they send to their families back home. - GMANews.TV