“WE want her home.”
This was the cry of the family of Juvy Montesoso, the 32-year-old Overseas Filipino Worker who was found dead near the basketball court of a hotel in Kuwait where she worked as receptionist.
Rochel Montesoso, the victim’s sister was in tears when she and her partner Raul Constantino yesterday visited the offices of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale to seek help in bringing Juvy’s remains home.
Juvy hails from Talisay City.
Garcia said the Capitol will shoulder the cost of shipping Juvy’s corpse once it would be confirmed that the DFA or embassy would not release financial assistance.
Magpale said they are “just waiting for the go signal of governor” to help.
Rochel said that the Deparment of Foreign Affairs have not offered financial assistance since Aug. 5 when her sister was found dead.
“The Philippine embassy in Kuwait has never kept in touch with us,” Rochel said.
She said they only received updates from Juvy’s co-worker, Nora Dayunda, who said the embassy will help them with their papers but not with the budget to transport Juvy’s remains.
Dayunda started a fundraising campaign in Kuwait. However, the money she gathered did not reach the needed P200,000 shipping budget.
This prompted Rochel to ask help from top officials of the provincial government.
Rochel also asked the governor if she could help them with the education of Juvy’s six-year-old daughter.
She said they have no means to pay for the daughter’s schooling as Juvy has always been the breadwinner of their family.
Garcia said she will help in the education of Juvy’s daughter but will first focus on bringing Juvy’s body home.
Juvy’s daughter has been looking for her mother since the day she was found dead, Rochel said. The girl used to talk to her mother on the phone or Internet every night.
“I’ve been telling her that Mama might be tired that is why she’s resting but I don’t know if I could still lie to the child anymore,” a weeping Rochel said in Cebuano.
She said she hopes Juvy’s body will be brought home right away so that she could tell the child what really happened to her mother.