Remains of OFW Jenny Alvarado return home after corpse mix-up

Metro Manila, Philippines - The remains of a Filipina domestic worker in Kuwait who died from coal suffocation have finally been delivered to her hometown, bringing closure to a mistaken-identity-drama that saw her family initially receiving a wrong corpse.

Jenny Alvarado's remains were shipped late Thursday evening on Jan. 16 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

"Nakauwi na sa bansa kagabi, Enero 16, ang labi ni OFW Jenny Alvarado na nasawi sa Kuwait matapos ang trahedyang sinapit noong Enero 2 dahil sa coal suffocation mula sa heating system sa kanyang pinagtatrabahuan," the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said in a post on Facebook.

Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac gave Alvarado's family initial financial assistance and gave assurances that the government will also shoulder the funeral and burial expenses.

"Patuloy ang ating pakikiramay at suporta sa pamilya ni OFW Jenny sa panahon ng kanilang pagdadalamhati," the OWWA said.

Cacdac previously said that the wrong cadaver, which belonged to a Nepali national, had been sent back to Kuwait. The government is also working with the Nepalese government to investigate the incident and seek clarification on what happened.

"Our labor attaché is in close coordination also with the Nepali embassy, and so with our Philippine embassy in close coordination with the Nepali embassy in Kuwait," said Cacdac.

The DMW said an investigation on the shipment of the wrong cadaver is ongoing.

"I’ve been apprised about the applicable Kuwaiti law, and yes, we are moving ahead with the filing of claims against whoever — hindi ko muna papangalanan pa kung sino [I will not identify any person] — whoever caused the mistake or the error," he explained.

Alvarado died on Jan. 2. Her supposed remains were repatriated on Jan. 10, only for her family to discover the body was not hers.