ILOILO City – An Ilonggo factory worker who went missing in South Korea in 2016 has been found dead. His skeletal remains were recovered in a septic tank of a water purifier plant at the city of Hwaseong, Gyeonggi province.
DNA samples from the skeletons matched with those of the mother of missing 34-year-old Angelo Claveria of Cabatuan, Iloilo.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) consular office here, the South Korean police suspect this to be a murder case and an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) has been tagged a prime interest.
The Korea Times newspaper reported that the skeletal remains were found on April 3.
Claveria may have been hit on the head with a hard object, according to the initial information reaching DFA.
“But until we receive the official report from South Korean authorities, we can’t say for certain what really happened,” said DFA regional consular office’s officer-in-charge Anita F. Saldo.
Claveria, a Marine Transportation graduate, left for South Korea in July 2014 to work as a metal cutter.
The family’s last contact with Claveria was in December 2015. But it was only this Feb. 20, 2018 that they sought DFA’s help. That same month, a missing Ilongga domestic helper in Kuwait was found dead. Joanna Demafelis of Sara, Iloilo was beaten to death then stuffed in the freezer by her employers, a Libyan-Syrian couple.
On April 20, a team from South Korea’s consulate in Cebu took DNA samples from Claveria’s mother Angelita at the DFA regional consular office here.
Seventeen days after, or on May 7, the South Korean consulate informed the Claveria family that DNA samples taken from Angelita matched with the DNA samples from the skeletal remains found at Hwaseong.
Yesterday, Angelita and three daughters returned DFA’s Iloilo consular office. They accomplished forms for the repatriation of Claveria’s remains.
According to Saldo, the regional consular office forwarded the papers to the DFA central office and the Philippine embassy in Seoul, South Korea.
The exact date of repatriation, however, remains uncertain. A clearance from the Korean government is needed.
DFA is ready to extend legal assistance to the family, said Saldo.
“South Korean authorities are handling the investigation. Once the culprit has been identified, they will coordinate with Interpol and the Philippine National Police because allegedly, the suspect, a Filipino national, already returned to the Philippines,” said Saldo.
Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Raul Hernandez said the South Korean police are still collecting more evidence that would firm up its suspicion against their prime suspect.
“Ayaw magsabi ng pulis (sa Philippine embassy) kung ano ang mga ebidensya pero mukhang kaibigan, magkaibigan sila…magkakilala sila,” said Hernandez who decline to identify the suspect.
“The Philippine embassy is not releasing the identity of the prime suspect so as not to preempt the ongoing investigation of the South Korean police,” he added. “The South Korean authorities believe that the suspect is already in the Philippines.” (With a report from Adrian Stewart Co/PN)
