Reported by Ven C. Arigo
Bohol weeps over the return of its two overseas Filipino workers (OFW) - a young married aircraft mechanic and a young single domestic helper---their cold and lifeless bodies in a box.
The twin ill fates of Franco Antonio Galo and Eugenia Baja have inflicted indescribable pains to their respective loved ones but who have to accept the knifing realities of foreign employment that is not always rewarding.
The remains of Galo, a Saudia Airlines aircraft maintenance personnel from Laya, Baclayon arrived at the Tagbilaran City airport Thursday morning, followed by the corpse of Baja, the maid from Matin-ao, Sierra-Bullones Friday morning.
A number of fellow OFWs held wake for Baja Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila while awaiting for her transport here on the following morning's flight.
Her grieving parents, brothers and sisters were joined by Rep. Edgar Chatto in meeting Baja, sealed inside a wooden crate, at the airport here.
His loved ones, on the other hand, and a staff of the congressman met Galo, also in a box, at the airport here, too, a day earlier.
The two Boholano migrant workers both worked in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia but met their tragic ends of unlikely causes and in separate times.
Baja died in a hospital last February 24 after she allegedly banged into her head blocks of concrete tiles, according to a report quoting her employer and relayed to her parents back home.
Later, Arab authorities said Baja died of organ failure reportedly after her health condition just suddenly gradually declined for causes her parents have yet to ascertain.
Baja's parents, thru the intervention of Chatto's office that coordinated with concerned Philippine agencies, had the OFW's dead body autopsied in Riyadh to check if her death might have involved foul play.
Further investigation there had caused the delay of the repatriation of Baja's remains, which were frozen for three months and 20 days to her return back home.
Baja's corpse would have been withheld in Riyadh for six or eight months---or even longer---since the investigation would so require according to Arab laws.
But Baja's parents asked Chatto's help to have their daughter immediately repatriated since their longer anticipation of the return of a loved they know is already lifeless could only deepen their grief.
The office of the First District solon exerted effort together with the office of Gov. Erico Aumentado to also rush the return of the lifeless Galo, who died in a terrible car wheel explosion blamed on global warming also in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last may 24, exactly three months sinceBaja's death in the same foreign land.
Galo was driving his pick-up under an abnormally scorching sun on his way from Al-Jourf to the Ar-Ar airport in Riyadh when a front tire of his vehicle just exploded, resulting in a tragic crash.
The wheel exploded to the pressure of the extraordinary climatic heat wave that scaled over 50 degrees Celsius in Saudi on the day of the deadly accident, according to an information from Galo's wife Victoria to her parents-in-law back home.
The tragedy occurred while Galo's wife and their two young kids were staying with him on a vacation right in Riyadh.
Galo had a brother who is also an OFW as a seaman. Their father is a former OFW then long working in the very part of Saudi Arabia where his son was to perish many years later last may 24.
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