Relatives of dead OFWs in Baguio, Benguet get money

By Lito Dar

BAGUIO CITY -- The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration released last week financial assistance to the families of three deceased Overseas Filipino Workers in Baguio and Benguet.

OWWA regional director Manuela Peña handed P120,000 cheques each to families of the late OFWs Reynaldo Nijaga, a carpenter in Dubai and Pamela Kinao, a household service worker in Hongkong, both from Baguio.

A P220,000 cheque was also turned over to the family of Bonifacio Landingin Jr. who worked as heavy equipment operator in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Nijaga died of acute heart attack May 11 while Kinao died of acute myocardial infarction last May 27.

Landingin, a native of Mankayan, Benguet, died in a vehicular accident in October last year.

According to Peña, the financial assistance covers the death and burial benefits of the deceased OFWs for being active OWWA members.

She said Landingin’s family received P200,000 death benefits compared to the P100,000 received by the other two families as the cause of his death was accidental.

Meantime, P25,000 each were also released to OFWs Simeon Fawagan and Caesar Pal-og, both residents of Baguio City to cover their disability claims.

Fawagan, a junior (equipment) operator in South Africa needs a physio-theraphy while Pal-og, also an equipment operator in South Africa, needs an ACL reconstruction.
Both OFW suffered work related injuries in their jobsites.

Peña, in an interview, reminded returning OFWs in the region to visit their office so that they can learn about OWWA programs that their family members, may avail of, being active members of OWWA.

Peña also reminded OFWs who will return to their jobsites not to forget to renew their membership saying any uncalled or untoward incidence that they may encounter, OWWA’s assistance and programs will be readily available for them, aside from the skills trainings and scholarship programs of OWWA that can be availed by their immediate family and dependents.