A juvenile justice court in Kuwait convicted the perpetuator behind the brutal killing of the overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Jullebee Ranara, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday, September 14.
According to DFA, the 17-year-old killler was sentenced for 15 years of imprisonment for murder. He received a lesser penalty since he was still underage.
The foreign affairs department said Jullebee’s killer was also sentenced to one year of imprisonment for driving without a license.
The Kuwait juvenile court gave the perpetrator 30 days to appeal the decision.
Meanwhile, in a report by RH Edniel Parrosa on Friday, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) officials visited the family of Jullebee to discuss the Kuwait court's ruling.
The slain domestic helper’s family refused to disclose a statement on the court’s conviction yet.
Mga tauhan ng DMW, dumating sa bahay ng pamilya Ranara matapos ibaba ang hatol na murder sa killer ng OFW | RH 52 @ednielparrosa #PangunahingBalita#DosPorDos#SamaSamaTayoPilipino
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) September 14, 2023
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The OFW party-list lauded the swift resolution in the case, saying that the “long arm of the law has given justice to Jullebee and her bereaved family.”
But it noted that one overarching issue remains which is the need for reforms such as “standard contracts, a system for rescuing workers in distress, and investigating worker abuses and deaths.”
The OFW party-list said these reforms can be pushed through bilateral agreement between the government of the Philippines and Kuwait.
“Huwag nating iiwan ang kaso ni Jullebee Ranara bilang numerong dumagdag sa istatistika ng mga inaabusong OFWs bagkus ay maging hamon ito na paigtingin ang proteskyon ng ating gobyerno laban sa abuso at pananamantala sa ating mga OFWS,” it furthered.
In January this year, the burnt corpse of the 38-year-old domestic helper was found in the middle of the desert in Kuwait.
Kuwait police authorities’ investigation showed that Jullebee was killed by her employer’s 17-year-old son, who also physically and sexually abused her.
