The Samahan ng mga DH sa Gitnang Silangan (SANDIGAN, or Association of Domestic Helpers in the Middle East)-Philippines condemned the Kuwaiti court’s light sentence on the killer of Dafnie Nacalaban in 2024.
Nacalaban, 35 years old, hailed from Zamboanga del Sur. She worked as a domestic worker (DW) in Kuwait starting in 2019 and was reported missing in October 2024. Two months later, her decomposing body was found in her employer’s yard.
The family held on to the promise of the Department of Overseas Workers (DMW) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) that they will do everything to achieve justice. However, after nearly a year of struggle, the employer who killed their loved one was sentenced to only 14 years in prison. Meanwhile, the three accomplices in the crime were sentenced to just one year in prison with hard labor.
“A Filipino suspect, even with insufficient evidence, is immediately executed. But a Filipino victim has very low value. the poor truly can have no justice,” Nacalaban’s grieving husband said.
According to SANDIGAN, this illustrates limited punishment for perpetrators and their unfair treatment of overseas Filipino workers, where employers treat their “kadama” or DW as property. This is similar to the case of Jullebee Ranara who was brutally murdered in 2023 by the son of her employer. The murderer was sentenced to only 15 years in prison.
The family lamented that they were not properly informed about the case’s progress. The DMW representative merely relayed the verdict and said the government can do nothing more. Worse, the OWWA is yet to keep its promised scholarship for their child.
“For government agencies to disregard the grievances of OFWs and their families seeking justice is unacceptable. These agencies are mandated to provide support and protection to OFWs vulnerable to abuse and even murder abroad,” the group said.
“We demand the government’s responsibility to create opportunities, decent jobs, and sustainable livelihoods with living wages in the Philippines. If so, no Filipino worker will fall victim to forced migration, endure maltreatment, and later return home lifeless after years of separation from their families,” the group declared.
