DFA admits asking kin of slain OFW for reinbursement

There is no deadline for the family of Mark Lloyd Carmen, the overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who was killed in Kish Island last month, to reimburse the government for the repatriation of his remains, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday. In a statement, the DFA said the victim’s family may pay for the costs of the repatriation whenever they can. It said the agency paid for the repatriation through its Assistance to Nationals (ATN) Fund. “Since the ATN Fund is limited and only up to the extent of the allotment given to the DFA, the Filipino worker or his next-of-kin is asked to make an undertaking to refund the amount advanced by the DFA. The worker or his family can pay when they are able," the DFA said. The reimbursed amount will be used to assist other OFWs in distress, notably for those facing death penalty convictions; other repatriations; payment of basic necessities, medical expenses, immigration and visa fees, and overstaying penalties; jail visitations; translation services; and other financial assistance, according to the DFA. It said the ATN Fund was established pursuant to the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act to defray expenses for Filipinos in distress abroad, including undocumented workers. Carmen’s remains arrived in Manila dawn of Monday. His mother, Perlita, had earlier told GMANews.TV that she was made to sign an affidavit stating that she will pay for the autopsy of Carmen’s body and the plane ticked for the transport of his remains. She said failure to pay meant she couldn't apply for a passport. Carmen, 24, was using a tourist visa when he was stabbed dead last July 1, making him an undocumented worker. A mother's lament Carmen’s remains arrived past 1 a.m. on Monday and were released from the quarantine area around 5 a.m. "Twenty-four years, hindi sapat. Alam ko namang ipinahiram lang siya sa akin ng Diyos. Pero lagi kong sinasabi sa Diyos, sana hinaba-habaan mo pa ang pagpapahiram sa akin. Kasi alam ko namang si Mark, hindi ko yan pag-aari, pag-aari yan ng Diyos," Mrs. Carmen said in an interview aired over GMA’s “24 Oras." (Twenty four years is not enough. I know I was only borrowing him from God. But I keep on telling Him, He could have allowed me to be with Mark longer. Because I know I don’t own Mark; God owns him.)

Mrs. Carmen said in the same newscast that she signed the affidavit to speed up the repatriation of her son’s remains. "Ang mahalaga sa akin ay maibalik si Mark. Kung balang araw, ikukulong nila ako dahil may utang ako, then so be it, maibalik ko lang ang aking anak," she said. (What is important to me is to bring back Mark’s body. If they send me to jail for not paying what I owe them, so be it. I just want to bring my son back.) The affidavit does not state the exact amount that Mrs. Carmen needs to pay, but she believes it could be as much s P360,000. Discrimination vs ‘undocumented’ workers Migrants’ rights group Migrante International, meanwhile, scored the DFA in the same newscast for allegedly discriminating against “undocumented" workers. "Malinaw naman na ang ating ATN ay inilaan para sa ating undocumented na mga kababayan. Wag tayong mamili sapagkat Pilipino pa rin siya at naghahangad lang naman ng maayos na buhay sa ibayong dagat," said Garry Martinez, the group’s chairman, in the same TV report. (It is clear that the ATN was created for undocumented Filipinos in foreign lands. Let’s not be selective of whom to help because Mark Lloyd was still a Filipino who wanted to have a better life by working overseas.) “Kung tutuusin hindi naman siya mapupunta roon kung may maayos lang na trabaho dito sa ating bayan at may nakabubuhay na sweldo (Mark Lloyd would not have gone abroad if there are jobs available here in our country with a decent salary)," he added. Carmen had been staying at a hotel on the island since June 11 while waiting for a new tourist visa so that he could re-enter the United Arab Emirates. He left behind a wife and two children. The DFA said it has already directed the Philippine Embassy in Tehran to work with local authorities in bringing the alleged perpetrator to justice. Reports of other dead Pinoys being verified The Embassy also sent a note verbale to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to verify the alleged reports that there are over a dozen unclaimed bodies of Filipinos in a morgue in Kish Island. Carmen’s relative, also an OFW in Iran, earlier reported that she saw bodies of other Filipinos when she went to see Carmen’s remains in a morgue there. The Embassy assured that it is ready to dispatch a consular team to Kish Island should there be a verified report of any remains of a Filipino there. Kish Island is in the border region of Iran where access is difficult, and where Filipinos waiting for work permits in Dubai usually stay, according to the DFA. - KBK, GMANews.TV