12 December 2005 – The Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA), DFA has authorized Ambassador Edgardo B. Espiritu of the Philippine Embassy in London, UK, to begin raising private funds for the return to the Philippines of the remains of Filipina nurse Josephine Claire Umali and her son Justin Kim – both slain in Chester, England on 3 December 2005 – as he conveyed condolences to the family of the victims.

Mr. Pedro Chan, Executive Director of OUMWA, said “the OUMWA has issued the necessary instructions for the Philippine Embassy in London to raise additional funds to finance the return of the remains of Claire and Justin Kim to be accompanied by the husband and their three other children.”  He added that “the OUMWA is processing the release of funds from the Assistance to National Funds of the DFA to cover the repatriation cost of the victims’ family.”

The total cost of the return of the remains of Claire and Justin Kim and the return airline tickets of the family members is about US$16,000 or PHP854,720.

Ambassador Espiritu said that the Embassy, in coordination with the DFA-OUMWA and Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA), has begun raising funds for the return to the Philippines of the remains of Claire and Justin Kim, as well as of Claire’s husband and their three other children at the soonest possible time.

In his report to the Department, Ambassador Espiritu said Claire, who was head nurse at the Orchard Manor Nursing Home where she was employed for the past five years, was fatally stabbed by her brother-in-law Orlando Rebollido Santos at their residence in Chester, Cheshire, England early in the morning of 3 December 2005.  Claire’s 13-year-old son Justin Kim, who was trying to defend his mother and protect his other siblings, was also stabbed by Santos and died.  There is, as yet, no clear motive for Santos’ actions.

Claire and Justin Kim are survived by Virgie “Bong” Umali, Claire’s husband, and their children aged 14, eight and three.

Following receipt of information on the stabbing incident, Ambassador Espiritu immediately dispatched to Chester a consular team composed of Minister Leo Herrera-Lim, Assistance-to-Nationals Officer Alberto Rogero, Labor Attaché Jainal Rasul, Jr., and an OWWA Welfare Officer to confer with the surviving family as well as the Chester police on the assistance to be extended.

In his message to Claire’s husband, Ambassador Espiritu said, “I am deeply shocked and saddened by the terrible news that reached me this week of the tragedy that has befallen your family.   Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your children as you confront the questions of this horror and respond to its challenges.”

The Ambassador said that it is most likely that the remains of Claire and Justin Kim will be released to the family after the second post-mortem examination on 14 December 2005 and, after which, the family will cause the immediate repatriation of the remains.

Ambassador Espiritu assured the prompt processing of the necessary documents for the return of the remains to the Philippines and for the travel of the family members.

Ambassador Espiritu also reported that the Chester police charged Orlando with two counts of murder before the Chester Magistrate Court on Monday, 5 December 2005 and asked the court that he be remanded to custody.  The Chester police have also provided Orlando with a Solicitor and an interpreter, Ambassador Espiritu added.

The Ambassador has conveyed the Government’s appreciation to the Chester police for the “exceptional and unparalleled assistance” it has extended to the grieving family of Claire and Justin Kim.

Ambassador Espiritu added that there has been tremendous outpouring of support for the family as shown by the spontaneous laying of flowers and notes in front of their residence, condolence messages from co-workers and schoolmates, and fund-raising initiated by the local parish and schools.

Ambassador Espiritu assured the Department of the Embassy’s continued assistance to the family as well as to the accused, as required under the Migrant Workers Act.  At the same time, the Ambassador appealed to the media to respect the grieving family’s privacy during their period of difficulty and pain, and gave the assurance that the Embassy will regularly communicate with the relevant persons and authorities to keep the concerned public informed of the case developments.  END