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Kuwait appeals court upholds guilty verdict vs killer of OFW Jullebee Ranara

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Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:633px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img class="fr-fic fr-dib" src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/gabriela-protest-jullebee-ranara-gc-7.jpg" style="width:950px"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><span contenteditable="true" id="isPasted"><span style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Relatives and loved ones turn emotional as Filipina migrant worker Jullebee Ranara is laid to rest at the Golden Haven Memorial Park in Las Piñas in February 2023. The burned remains of the 35-year-old overseas Filipino worker were left in a desert in Kuwait by the 17-year old son of Ranara’s employer, who confessed to the crime. <em>ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA <strong>(2nd UPDATE) </strong>— The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Thursday said the Kuwait Appeal Court has upheld the guilty verdict and sentence on the killer of Jullebee Ranara.</p><p>The charred body of Ranara, married with four children, was found in a desert in the Gulf State on Jan. 21, 2023. An autopsy report showed Ranara was pregnant at the time of her death.</p><p>In September last year, the killer, the minor son of the victim&#x27;s employer, was sentenced to 15-year imprisonment for murder and 1-year jail time for driving without a license.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/14/23/jullebee-ranaras-killer-sentenced-to-15-year-imprisonment">Jullebee Ranara&#x27;s killer sentenced to 15-year imprisonment</a></div><p>&quot;We welcome the ruling of the State of Kuwait’s Appeal Court upholding the guilty verdict and sentence of 16 years imprisonment against the accused for the murder of OFW Jullebee Ranara. The Appeal Court fully adopted the guilty verdict and sentence against the accused,&quot; DMW officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac said in a statement.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/01/23/solon-wants-most-stringent-penalty-on-ranaras-killer">Lawmaker wants &#x27;most stringent penalty&#x27; on Jullebee Ranara&#x27;s killer</a></div><p>The DMW said they have informed the family of Ranara regarding the verdict. </p><p>The family admitted they wanted a harsher penalty such as life sentence against her murderer. <br/> <br/>&quot;Gusto sana namin na mas higher na isasampa sa kanya na lifetime or mas mataas pa kasi yung ginawa hindi naman pantao yon, grabe,&quot; said Mark Reyes, younger brother of Jullebee. </p><p>In a separate interview with Teleradyo Serbisyo, Cacdac said the accused still has another option to elevate the case to the &quot;court of cassation,&quot; which only covers &quot;questions of law.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/30/23/tulfo-demands-public-apology-from-kuwait-following-repetitive-abuses">Tulfo demands public apology from Kuwait, seeks probe into &#x27;repetitive&#x27; abuses</a></div><p>&quot;Pero on questions of law lang, kumbaga sarado na yung facts dito. Kung ano man ang question of law na maaaring idulog ng salarin, kung ano man ang pinapayagan ng batas ng Kuwait,&quot; Cacdac explained.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/28/23/ph-govt-to-revisit-bilateral-labor-agreement-with-kuwait">PH gov&#x27;t to revisit bilateral labor agreement with Kuwait after Ranara&#x27;s death</a></div><p>The Philippine government will now move to seek damages for the crime since criminal and civil proceedings are separate in Kuwait.</p><p>&quot;I have issued instructions to our Migrant Workers Office in Kuwait to work with our retained legal counsel in filing a civil action for damages against the father of the convicted perpetrator,&quot; Cacdac said.</p><p>In a statement, Sen. Raffy Tulfo said he welcomes the decision of the Kuwaiti appellate court as he insisted that the family of the killer must pay Ranara&#x27;s loved ones. <br/> <br/>“Ngunit hindi dito nagtatapos ang laban para makamit ang hustisya para kay Jullebee. Dapat ay obligahing magbayad ng danyos ang pamilya ng akusado, kabilang ang actual at moral damages,&quot; Tulfo said.</p><p>He added that the Philippines&#x27; deployment ban to Kuwait must remain until civil damages are paid to the Ranara family. </p><p>&quot;Marapat lang na manatili ang deployment ban sa Kuwait hanggat hindi nababayaran ang danyos na ito,&quot; he said.</p><p>Cacdac believes that the positive development in Ranara’s case will also propel talks for the eventual lifting of the suspension imposed on the deployment of Filipinos to Kuwait.<br/> <br/>In February 2023, the Philippines immediately suspended the deployment of newly-hired household workers to Kuwait. In May, the Kuwait government also suspended the issuance of entry visas for all Filipino workers, including skilled workers.</p><p>There are around 240,000 OFWs in Kuwait, and 150,000 of them are household workers, according to Cacdac.<br/> <br/><strong>—With reports from Zen Hernandez and Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News</strong></p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" frameBorder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0NrOsdE4U2E?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div><br/></div>

<p>The DMW said they have already informed the family of Jullebee Ranara regarding the verdict. </p>

The DMW said they have already informed the family of Jullebee Ranara regarding the verdict.