OFW killed in Iraq died a hero - Migrante

MANILA, Philippines - After marking the government sponsored Migrants Day last Saturday with a protest rally in Mendiola, militant migrant workers hailed Dionassis “Jojo" Saguid, an undocumented OFW who was killed in war-torn Iraq, as a "hero."

He was a true hero, Migrante deputy secretary general Lian Santos told mourning relatives and friends of Jojo during rites held inside a chapel at St. Peter Funeral Homes in Quezon City.

Jojo, 32, worked as a cook for Groundworks Incorporated inside Baghdad’s green zone.

In death, Saguid saved two fellow OFWs identified only as Julie and Rose after using his own body to shield them from the mortar blast.

Santos relayed Migrante’s deepest sympathies to the Saguid family and vowed that his group will continue to press for justice for Jojo.

The Migrante leader also lambasted the Arroyo government’s outright denial of benefits for Saguid saying that he was an undocumented OFW.

The Migrante official said that it is the height of hypocrisy that while the Arroyo government showered OFWs with their overused “Bagong Bayani" praise releases during their Migrants Day Celebration, a true hero here lies abandoned and betrayed by his own government.

Saguid is a testament to how the Arroyo government treats our OFWs, Santos said.

Migrante maintained that Saguid’s being an undocumented OFW should not be used as an excuse for the government to deny him his benefits.

Migrante urged the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and Vice President Noli de Castro, currently the Presidential Adviser on OFWs, to extend educational assistance to Saguid’s two children.

All burial and transfer costs to Marinduque, Saguid’s hometown, should also be shouldered by the government, Migrante said. - GMANews.TV

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