OVERSEAS Filipino workers (OFW) advocate Susan Ople expressed her deepest sympathies to the family of OFW Lotis Yu Camocamo, vowing to follow up on the death and burial benefits that must go to the bereaved family.
Ople and John Bertiz, owner of Global Asia Alliance Consultancy Inc., accompanied the husband of the late OFW Domingo Camocamo, and the remains of his wife, from Manila to Cebu.
The husband, an OFW in Saudi Arabia, arrived yesterday in Manila from Riyadh.
“We are here to fulfill a promise to the mother and children of Lotis Yu Camocamo that we would bring her home to Toledo City. Our non-government organization, the Blas F. Ople Center, will continue to assist the family in whatever way we can during this difficult time,” Ople said.
The remains arrived at 6:15 p.m. yesterday on board Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight PR-1861 from Manila.
Advocate
She stressed that her presence in Cebu City is an offshoot of her work as an OFW advocate and head of the Ople Center.
“The family approached us for help and that is all there is. I believe that the more people help out the family, the faster the healing process would be,” Ople said.
The Blas F. Ople Policy Center has been helping distressed OFWs for the past 12 years.
John Bertiz, owner of the private recruitment agency that recruited Lotis, expressed sadness over the death of the OFW.
“When I learned about her death, I immediately sent our welfare staff to Saudi Arabia to assist Mr. Domingo Camocamo, and to coordinate closely with our Philippine Embassy. We will continue to extend assistance to the family,” Bertiz said.
In a press conference, Ople said the government had communication lapses because Camocamo died last Oct. 29, 2015 when she fell from the building of her employer but the family only knew about her fate last Dec. 27.
“What happened in between?” Ople asked.
She said the protocol is for the Philippine Embassy to inform Manila that Camocamo died, and the labor attache must also inform the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.
Ople said she learned about the situation from a Facebook post.
Unfortunately, Ople said they did not know where to find the family. So she asked Cebu media for help during a press conference at Diplomat Hotel. The media gave her the number of Talavera Barangay Captain Nestor Mahinog, who arranged for a meeting with the family at Mandarin Hotel in Cebu City last Jan. 23.
During that meeting, Camocamo’s mother Zenaida Yu and two children requested her to help them repatriate the remains of Lotis.
“Now that Lotis’ body has been transported to Cebu, I request everyone, including the media to pray for the eternal repose of her soul. May she rest in peace,” Ople said.