Brother of executed OFW absolves gov't: 'Hindi naman siya pinabayaan'

The brother of Jakatia Pawa, the Filipina who was executed in Kuwait, on Thursday said the government should not be faulted for his sister's fate, saying it did what it could to save her.
"Hindi naman pinabayaan ng gobyerno natin sa tatlong administration 'yung kapatid ko," said Lt. Col. Angaris Pawa, referring to the Arroyo, Aquino and Duterte administrations. "Full support naman ang gobyerno natin."
Pawa was executed Wednesday for killing her employer's 22-year-old daughter in 2007. She maintained her innocence up to her final moments, saying it was the victim's family who had the motive to kill her after she was allegedly caught having an affair with their neighbor.
The Filipina domestic helper left behind two children in Zamboanga City, who both could not accept the fate of their mother, according to a report by GMA News' Tina Panganiban-Perez on "24 Oras."
"Ma, kahit wala ka na sa tabi namin, masakit sa amin na wala ka na po. Akala namin makakasama na namin siya this year. Hindi pala. Ganun na lang po. Hindi kami makapaniwala," Hadisza Pawa, Jakatia's eldest daughter, said.
Moreover, they expressed anger and dismay that they learned about their mother's execution from her and not from the government.
"Kasi po yung embassy po, parang walang ano, wala man lang kaming ininform sa mga balita. Nalaman na lang po namin sa tawag ng mama namin. Kapag hindi pa tumawag ang mama namin siguro hindi namin alam," said Amencadrah Pawa, Jakatia's youngest child.
The children's father and Jakatia's husband was killed in 2012. The case remains unsolved, the report said.
Meanwhile, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) has vowed to provide assistance to Jakatia's family, especially her children, who are aged 18 and 16.
"Hindi natin iiwanan yung pamilya, lalo na yung dalawang anak na binilin din mismo ni Jakatia," said Hans Cacdac, OWWA administrator.
"We can shoulder travel to Manila and of course, if the family ultimately decides to visit her grave site in Kuwait, tutulong din kami sa transportation," he added.
The agency promised to give to Pawa's family financial assistance worth P120,000, livelihood assistance worth P15,000, psychosocial counselling, and scholarship for her children.  —Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more