RIYADH, 6 October 2004 — The Philippine Embassy said yesterday that the remains of the late dressmaker Onesima “Oning” Pudol will be sent home tomorrow on board a Philippine Airlines flight.
Francis Oca, a cousin of Pudol, said he learned of the good news from Attaché Oscar Cacho.
Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas e-mailed Oca on Sept. 21 teling him that the remains of Pudol “will be sent back to Manila within a week after the final clearances are given by the Saudi government.”
“We are in touch with the son of Ms. Pudol and the money for the repatriation of the body has been transmitted by the DFA to the Riyadh post.
“Our staff on the ground have also been alerted as to the various recommendations you made which are SOP for those who have pending cases and claims,” she said.
Oca, also a Filipino community leader, welcomed the news with “great relief.
Pudol died on Aug. 2 in a Riyadh hospital following a heart attack while waiting for the enforcement of a court decision that required her employer to pay all her unpaid wages on top of the end of service benefits required by law.
In May last year, she sought help from POLO officials in filing a case against her employer for non-payment of wages.
While her case was being heard, Pudol took on any job that would come her way so that she could send her children to school. She made dresses for friends, including employees at the Philippine Embassy.
