A Filipina overseas worker from Davao died while her friend was seriously injured after a speeding car bumped them along a highway in the United Arab Emirates recently, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration reported Monday.
Eduardo Bellido, OWWA Region 11 director, identified the fatalities as Esfee Banaag and Melissa Roble, both nurses in Abu Dhabi.
Bellido said in a press briefing Monday that both Filipinas were on their way home from their work when they were hit by a BMW on November 12.
Both Banaag and Roble were brought to a hospital in Abu Dhabi, said Bellido.
“One nurse [Banaag] died on Sunday, November 27, from severe brain injury – which is irreversible,” Bellido said, adding that Roble suffered a spinal column injury after the mishap.
OWWA is working to bring the remains Banaag back to the Philippines, while they are doing their best to assist Roble as much as they could.
Authorities are also investigating the incident, Bellido said.
However, it was not clear if both the Filipina workers were in the OWWA’s list of registered OFWs, hence they could not fully provide life insurance for the victims.
“Hindi sila makakatanggap ng benefits from OWWA because lumabas pala na tourist visa lang ang gamit nila and that undocumented workers sila sa amin,” Bellido explained.
Bellido pointed out that only OFWs who are registered in OWWA are the ones receiving the life insurance in his or her working experience abroad, revealing that the family members of the overseas worker will receive PhP 100,000 for death due to natural cause or PhP 200,000 because of an accident.
He also stressed that people who leave the country on irregular status to the Middle East are vulnerable to abuses and cannot receive assistance from government once they encounter problems such as accidents or death.
