MANILA, 25 May 2004 — The mysterious death of a third Filipina domestic in Lebanon within the span of three months has prompted Migrante International to call for the immediate recall of Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Ramoncito Marino.

The overseas Filipino workers based in Beirut, Lebanon, who came home in coffins were identified as Louella Montenegro (died Feb. 24), Catherine Bautista (died May 3) and a woman whom the family refused to be identified who died May 16.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said they were sending a legal team to Lebanon to look into the three cases since the three allegedly fell to their deaths while trying to escape their abusive employers.

But Migrante International said that in the third case, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) listed the cause of death as a head fracture due to clubbing. This contradicted the findings of a Lebanese pathologist who said her death was caused by a 7-meter fall.

“We demand the immediate recall and dismissal of Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Ramoncito Marino, Labor Attaché Alicia Santos and Welfare Officer Manuel Pena,” said Maita Santiago, Migrante International secretary-general, adding that the three “must be held responsible for the deaths and possibly other acts of negligence regarding the plight of OFWs in Lebanon and Syria.”

She added that “we are extremely alarmed by these deaths. Under the circumstances, it’s likely they were driven to their deaths by very abusive employers.”

Appeals for help to the embassy in Beirut by at least the first two OFWs to die went unheeded, according to OFWs in Lebanon.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Albert earlier said the DFA was taking steps to ensure that the justice is served in the three separate cases.

“We have asked local authorities to keep these cases open and that thorough investigations be conducted. We have sent a legal team to Beirut to work with local authorities on this matter and to monitor all developments,” Albert said.

In the meantime, she said the DFA would refrain from commenting on the merits of the cases until the investigations were concluded. But she said “the DFA gives the highest importance to the protection of Filipinos overseas and takes allegations against our embassies very seriously.”

“The legal team that I have sent to Beirut has also been given the mandate to look into these claims against the embassy and to report its findings to the DFA. I would like to assure all those concerned that the DFA will do its duty and act as the facts may warrant,” Albert said.

Despite the fact that all three victims went abroad as undocumented workers, Albert assured the families that the DFA “would continue to provide every assistance” to them. All three victims entered Lebanon on tourist visas.

According to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office there are approximately 20,000 OFWs in Lebanon and Syria. The embassy in Lebanon is also responsible for OFWs in Syria because of the absence of a Philippine post in that country.

Santiago added that in Syria, Migrante has three other cases of maltreated domestic workers crying for repatriation.

The OFWs are Jennifer Ferrer, Marcelina Bautista and Maribel Torres.

“Let’s not wait for these OFWs to suffer the fate of Louella, Catherine and the 3rd unidentified domestic. The negligent Philippine officials in Lebanon must be removed and all OFWs in distress there must be repatriated quickly,” concluded Santiago.