ruegg4v I JANUARY 21, 2020

House inquirY on
the HSW's mobile phone and sdid manning agencies are re-
The adviscry was is,sued^amid
By MAYEN JAYMALIN ."ir"J to sub"miistatus rePorts I
nassoort. It mandaies the Ku- the tension between the US and
killing of lra- ull their seafarers on board
The House of RePresen- I"ti-ti no""t"-""t to provide Iran following Suleirnani'
the "if
vess+ bansiting countries in the
tatives will start today the i-""ti".t welfare anil safetv nian Gen' QasemBernard Olalia Middle East. J

inouirv into the death of Fili- -"i.n..i"t"tlt. householi I POEA chief "rhe report should be sub-
piria d'omestic helPer Jeanellm workers. 'i mitted to the POEAOffice of the
Villavende. Mendoza said the House Director on Welfare Services ev-
Rep. Raymond Mendoza would look into the two au-
ery Tuesday or immediately as
of the Trade Union Congress topsv reports made bY the
may be necessary," OIalia said.
of the Philippines (TUCP) Nitibnal- Bureau of Investi-
paftylist said labor and foreign gation (NBI) and its Ku$/aiti
affairs offrcials are exPected to ' counterpart.
attend the inquiry. "It is a cause of grave con- !
rt p4gtr -G'l
Mendoza chairs the House cem because it was aPParent
committee on overseas work- that there is an attemPt to
ers affairs. whitewash the case and cover
"We will examine the up the brutal death bY making
botched bilateral agree- it'appear |eanellm died of mere
ment on household service phyiical injuries," Mendoza
workers (HSWs) signed said.
between the PhiliPPines He said the House commit-
and Kuwait at the start of tee would assess government I

congressional investiga- efforts to repatriate FiliPino

tion," he said' workers in sbme Parts of the
The probe will focus on ' Middle East amid rising ten-
the alleged fake autopsy sent sion in the region.
by the Kuwaiti authorities on The govemment is closelY
the remains of Villavende, monitoiing Filipino seaf arers
Mendoza said. deploved in the Middle East.
Mendoza said had the ln in advisory the PhiliP-
asreement been observed pine Overseas EmPloYment
af,d worked out, the death of Administration (POEA) or:
\tllavende would have been dered manning agencies to
orevented. submit a list of all sea{aners, in-
1 Th" ug"""-"ttt provides cluding their trade routes and
for the non-confiscation of other important information.