Following the recent arrests of Lebanese-national Nader Essam Assaf and his Syrian wife, Mona Hassoun, the former employers of slain overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Joanna Daniela Demafelis and the prime suspects in her alleged murder, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the victim’s recruiters.

Demafelis’ remains were found inside a freezer while working in Kuwait.

The late overseas worker was initially recruited by Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Global E-Human Resources, Inc., which was shut down in 2016, the same year the OFW’s family claimed to have last heard from her. Meanwhile, she was also signed with Kuwaiti agency, the Fadilah Farz Kaued Al Khodor Recruitment Office, which is currently on the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) watchlist.

In response to the case, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has since set up a command center for OFWs as a method for workers to report problems while overseas.

According to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, the Demafelis case was poorly handled by Filipino labor officials operating in Kuwait.

Through the facility, which was established last week, complaints can be filed via email, text message, or phone call, with the center in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Meanwhile, those filing claims domestically can access the command center by visiting the DOLE Central Office./PLL, WDJ