OFW back home after 10 years in Kuwait jail

MANILA, Philippines  – A Filipino worker who was on death row and detained for more than 10 years in Kuwait has returned to the country.

Marilou Ranario arrived on Tuesday, June 23. She was welcomed by her father and brother.

Ranario was meted the death sentence in 2005 for stabbing to death her employer,  after she allegedly heard him say that he was selling her. She alleged that her employer abused her, which caused her to suffer paranoia.

The Arab Times reported that the Philippine government hired Ranario’s defense council and paid “blood money” for Ranario’s forgiveness.

During a stopover in Kuwait after her visits to the United Kingdom and Spain in December 2007, then president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo persuaded Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al Sabah not to sign the order to execute Ranario.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on the eve of Ranario’s homecoming that following her arrest in 2005, the DFA “crafted a legal strategy to ensure the protection of her rights throughout the legal process.”

Her death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2007, and eventually to 10 years in 2009, including time already served.

“We are very happy that she will go home and be reunited with her family. We wish she could start anew,” Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Villa said in a statement.

The DFA said that during a regular jail visit by Philippine embassy officials, Ranario personally thanked the embassy its support and assistance.

The embassy closely coordinated with the Deportation Department of Kuwait to expedite her repatriation to the Philippines. the DFA said.

The father of Marilou thanked the DFA and the Philippine embassy in Kuwait for helping Ranario. He also thanked Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is presidential adviser on OFW concerns, for supporting them.

A representative from Binay’s office was at the airport to help assist Ranario’s family members.

Binay’s predecessor, former vice president Noli de Castro who was then also presidential adviser on OFW concerns, went to Kuwait in 2006 on instructions of Arroyo, to convey the government’s appeal to spare the life of Ranario. 

There are still 92 other Filipinos on death road abroad, according to the DFA.

Before leaving Kuwait, Ranario told the Arab Times she was optimistic that things will get better when she returns to the Philippines.

“I didn’t dream of something grandiose. All I wanted was a comfortable life for my family, for my two kids that’s why I came to Kuwait to work. As I return home today, I can’t wait to be with them. I will take care of them. I just want the best for my family. Look at me, how I sacrificed for my family,” she said. – with reports from Jedwin Llobrera/Rappler.com