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[av_heading heading=’SLAIN OFW DRAWS DU30 TO ILOILO ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY CAROLYN JANE ABELLO
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Thursday, February 22, 2018
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ILOILO City – Today, President Rodrigo Duterte is visiting the wake of slain overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Joanna Daniela Demafelis in Sitio Cordero, Barangay Ferraris, Sara, Iloilo.
This is the first time for the President to visit Iloilo since branding it a “bedrock of illegal drugs” and winning the 2016 election. He was invited to grace the Dinagyang Festival last month but his tight schedule prevented him from coming.
The bizarre death of Demafelis – she was beaten to death then stuffed in a freezer – angered the President. He stopped the deployment of OFWs to Kuwait.
Demafelis’ family will receive assistance, according to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.
The remains of Demafelis were flown to the Philippines from Kuwait Friday last week. These reached Sara town on Saturday.
Since becoming president, Duterte had largely eschewed Iloilo, the bailiwick of his election rival Mar Roxas, though he visited nearby Antique province during last year’s Palarong Pambansa and had been to Bacolod City twice for the MassKara Festival in 2016 and 2017.
The presidential visit today is also being deemed a signal that he had moved on from his constant verbal attack on Iloilo as “most shabulized” and whose several mayors he branded as drug protectors in 2016.
Last month, two of these mayors – Maasin’s Mariano Malones and Calinog’s Alex Centena – joined Duterte’s ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).
Last month, Roque said the President now considered Iloilo “and the rest of the Ilonggo-speaking areas” his bailiwick.
He made the claim after the Jan. 18 oath-taking of some 5,000 Iloilo 3rd District local leaders led by Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. as new members of PDP-Laban.
September last year, some 4,000 local officials in Iloilo’s 1st District led by Cong. Richard Garin also took their oath as PDP-Laban members.
After visiting Demafelis’ wake this afternoon, the President will proceed to Camp General Adriano Hernandez in Dingle, Iloilo for the launching of the “TienDA Para sa mga Bayani” program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in partnership with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Under this program, farmers and fisherfolk will be allowed to sell their produce in military camps.
Accompanying the President today from Metro Manila are Cong. Aniceto Bertiz III of ACTS-OFW party-list, Labor secretary Silvestre Bello III, Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque./PN
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