DFA Extends Sympathy, Vows to Look into Death of OFW in Slovakia

03 June 2018 — The Department of Foreign Affairs has expressed its condolences to the family of an overseas Filipino worker in Slovakia who died a few days after he was badly beaten up in the capital Bratislava.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of our kababayan Henry John Acorda,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said from Seoul after the Philippine Embassy in Vienna reported the death of the 36-year-old employee of a multinational company.

“We mourn the loss of another of our own who by all accounts is a hero who came to the rescue of the defenseless in a land that is not even his,” Secretary Cayetano said.

In its report to Secretary Cayetano, the Philippine Embassy in Vienna said Acorda succumbed on Thursday, 31 May at the University Hospital Ruźjnov to injuries he sustained after he was beaten up in a street in Slovakia’s capital city, Bratislava on Saturday, 26 May.

According to local media reports, Acorda was attacked by two men when he tried to defend two women they were harassing. A 28-year-old local man was taken into custody in connection with the incident and has been charged with manslaughter.

“We give our assurance to Henry’s family that we will do everything to make sure that those responsible for his death are brought to justice,” Secretary Cayetano said.

The Embassy said its Assistance to Nationals Section and the Philippine Consulate in Bratislava are assisting Acorda’s mother, brother, and sister who flew to Slovakia to look after him.

The Embassy said the Consulate has already discussed Acorda’s case with local lawyers. The Embassy will also be assisting the family in preparing for the repatriation of Acorda’s remains. END