OFW hospitalized, another on trial in Russia

MANILA, Philippines - Two overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are in trouble in Russia, the Philippine embassy in Moscow said yesterday.

A female OFW was hospitalized for injuries she sustained while attempting to escape from her employer, who locked her in an apartment on Feb. 12.

Embassy representatives were sent to Yakutsk City in Sakha Republic, 4,200 kilometers from Moscow, upon hearing of the incident.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Investigative Committee are investigating the incident and opened a case against the OFW’s employers under Article 127.3 of the Russian Criminal Code for “unlawful detention with serious consequences.”

A Filipino seafarer is awaiting trial for allegedly killing two of his colleagues aboard a ship in November 2016.

Embassy representatives visited the seafarer at the Investigative Office of Vladivostok, which helped arrange the meeting.

“As the incident occurred in Russian waters, the Filipino is awaiting trial under the Russian judicial system,” the embassy said.

During the meeting, the seafarer was given an opportunity to speak with his family in the Philippines and forward letters to them.

Meanwhile, OFW group Migrante International urged President Duterte yesterday to stop the execution of household service worker Jennifer Dalquez in the United Arab Emirates.

The Al Ain Judicial Court of Appeals in Dubai had been expected to issue a decision on Dalquez’s case yesterday.

Dalquez claimed she was forced to kill her employer when he tried to rape her. The court sentenced Dalquez to death in 2014.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III is set to fly to the UAE today to visit Dalquez and check on her condition.