File Photo : Dafnie Nacalaban (Photo from Dafnie Nacalaban Facebook page)

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 15: The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirmed on Tuesday that the main suspect in the killing of overseas Filipino Dafnie Nacalaban has been sentenced to 14 years in prison by a Kuwait court.

“The latest development involves the case of the Filipino who was found slain in a garden. Three other individuals were also convicted as accomplices and received their respective sentences,” DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac stated during a briefing at the DMW office in Mandaluyong City.

Nacalaban’s body was discovered on December 31, 2024, in the yard of her employer’s home in Saad Al-Abdullah, Jahra, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs. She had been reported missing by her second employer in October 2024 after losing contact with her.

Dafine Nacalaban, who had been working in Kuwait since December 2019, was found in an advanced state of decomposition following a police report filed by a relative of the suspect. The main suspect, a Kuwaiti national with a prior criminal record, later admitted to killing Nacalaban.

After months of coordination between Philippine and Kuwait authorities, Nacalaban’s remains were repatriated to the Philippines on February 21, 2025, through the efforts of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the DMW.

In a related update, Secretary Cacdac said the Philippine government is continuing to provide support for another OFW recently convicted in the death of her employer’s son. “Yes, she has been convicted, but the case is currently under appeal,” Cacdac noted. “We have provided her with legal counsel, and our team continues to visit her regularly in Kuwait.”