Statement: On the Arrival of the Remains of the Late OFW Ma. Constancia Lago Dayag

23 May 2019 – The remains of the late OFW Ma. Constancia Lago Dayag are scheduled to arrive today, 23 May 2019.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has requested for the immediate release of the official forensic report from the Criminal Evidence Department of Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior. As of the moment, the death certificate released by the Al-Sabah Hospital indicates that the cause of death is still under investigation. Therefore there is nothing to refute. Repeat, nothing to refute. Repeat, nothing to refute. Once the Kuwaiti report is released, we will double-check it with our own experts.

The DFA and the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait continue to work with the Kuwait government for the speedy resolution of the felony murder case earlier filed by the Kuwaiti General Prosecutor’s Office and supported by the Embassy. The Department has instructed our lawyer to pursue this case to a satisfactory resolution. Our lawyer has made representations with the Kuwaiti General Prosecutor’s Office to stress that the Philippine Government will intervene and provide evidence as appropriate.

The DFA has endorsed the case to the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) which will undertake an independent autopsy and perform toxicology tests on the remains to determine the cause of death of Ms. Dayag.

The Department will also request the permission of the family to bring the remains to the University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) Forensic Morgue for a similar examination of the human remains of Ms. Dayag.

The DFA will continue to provide assistance to nationals and legal support on the case of the late Ms. Dayag. Furthermore, the DFA will provide Php100,000 financial assistance to the orphaned children of Ms. Dayag to help defray the cost of her funeral. END