Statement: On the Suicide of an OFW in Lebanon

24 May 2020 – It is with deep sadness that the Department of Foreign Affairs announces that the Filipina household service worker who was taken in by the Philippine Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, as ward at the POLO shelter on 22 May 2020 and reportedly jumped from a room she was sharing with two other OFWs in the morning of 23 May 2020 has passed away today.

The Embassy was able to speak to the Filipina’s eldest sister in the Philippines as well as her cousin in Lebanon to convey its condolences. It also gave assurances in extending assistance on the possibility of bringing her remains back to the Philippines. As of the moment, Beirut is still under lockdown and international commercial flights in Lebanon are yet to resume.

As details on the incident are currently being investigated, the Embassy has ensured the safety of the rest of the female wards in the shelter and will provide them counseling, as needed. END