A 53-year old Tuguegarao native was found lifeless in her employer’s home in Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong on Monday morning (September 9).
The police found the dead body of the Filipino domestic helper in her employer’s residence. The Filipina had been working in Hong Kong for the last 30 years.
Filipino Domestic Helper Found Dead in Employer’s Home in Hong Kong
The Filipina, who was identified as Grace R.L., was found by her employer unconscious inside their house at 11 Pik Sha Road, Clear Water Bay. She is believed to have died of natural causes, as shared in a report by Hong Kong News.
According to the police spokeswoman, the employer had called in at around 7:32 am. She recounted that the employer had found the helper who had already collapsed and made a report to the police.
An ambulance with paramedics rushed to the scene, but the OFW had been declared dead at the time of their arrival.
As per the police’s initial investigation, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the Filipina domestic worker’s death.
According to the Tseung Kwan O police, they continued to follow up on the helper’s death which was eventually considered as “dead body found” case.
According to the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong, the OFW’s employer was already coordinating with the Assistance to Nationals Section and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration for the repatriation of her remains back to her family.
According to a PCG official, the OFW’s employer arranged for her children to fly in to Hong Kong and were expected to have arrived at the consulate last September 12.
According to reports, the Filipina had been working in Hong Kong during the last three decades and was also a church worker.
Grace was already the third Filipino domestic helper who died in Hong Kong since the start of the month. On September 1, a 32-year old domestic worker died due to a heart attack in Yuen Long. Another died because of an aneurysm on September 6 in Tsuen Wan.
Other than the safety of Filipino workers overseas, it’s also important to take into consideration the physical health and well-being of these workers. Earlier this year, Labatt Dela Torre proposed to set mandatory health checks for workers based in Hong Kong. However, this was received negatively by the community and was shelved for further consultation with the public and community leaders.
Also, Hong Kong residents including migrant domestic workers are entitled to free medical check-ups in public health facilities. OFWs should learn to be more proactive in taking care of their health because most of the time, they are the ones whom their families depend upon for provision.