CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez has pushed for a congressional investigation into the murder of Dafnie Nacalaban, a Kagay-anon domestic worker whose body was unearthed from a garden in Kuwait last December.
On Monday, January 6, Rodriguez filed House Resolution No. 2151, seeking for an official inquiry into Nacalaban’s murder.
“There are suspicious circumstances surrounding her death,” Rodriguez said, pressing government agencies to dig deeper into the case and provide clarity.
Nacalaban, 35, hailed from Barangay Dansolihon, Cagayan de Oro. She had worked as a household service worker in Kuwait since 2019.
According to Rodriguez, she had been reported missing by her second employer in Kuwait in October 2024.
One of the suspects in Nacalaban’s murder, according to Rodriguez, was also linked to the killing of another Filipina – his girlfriend – a few months earlier.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has confirmed that Nacalaban’s remains were found buried in a garden in Saad Al-abdullah, Jahra, a residential area in Kuwait, last month.
While Kuwaiti authorities have taken suspects into custody, critical details surrounding the case remain unclear.
The Nacalaban case adds to the string of tragedies involving Filipinos in Kuwait, reigniting concerns about the safety and welfare of OFWs in the Gulf state.
“This isn’t the first time Filipino domestic workers have been murdered in Kuwait,” Rodriguez said, echoing the outrage shared by many Kagay-anons. “We need to get to the bottom of this and ensure justice is served.”
The resolution seeks to direct House committees to investigate the case in aid of legislation.
Rodriguez also called on the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and the DFA to assist in uncovering the truth behind Nacalaban’s killing.
In Dansolihon, Cagayan de Oro and Molave town in Zamboanga del Sur, Nacalaban’s relatives are reeling from her untimely death.
The Cagayan de Oro-based Mindanao Gold Star Daily quoted her sister, Roxan Enloran, as saying that Nacalaban had planned to return to Mindanao last December to begin building her dream home in Molave, where her partner and child now grieve her loss.
“She was the hope of the family,” Enloran said, her voice breaking. – Rappler.com
