A delegation of government officials and a foreign envoy gathered at the home of a slain overseas worker in Pangasinan Sunday to offer condolences to her family, as the Department of Migrant Workers confirmed it has released emergency financial assistance to help the household through its loss.
Department of Migrant Workers Undersecretary Felicitas Q. Bay and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Administrator Patricia Yvonne M. Caunan visited the wake of Mary Ann De Vera in Basista, Pangasinan on the afternoon of March 16. De Vera, 32, was a caregiver working in Tel Aviv when a missile struck the residential building where she lived with her elderly employer. She was killed by shrapnel while trying to lead the woman to safety.
Undersecretary Bay assured the family that the DMW would remain available for whatever further assistance they may require. Financial aid through the department’s Aksyon Fund has already been released to provide immediate relief to the bereaved household.
Israeli Ambassador Dana Kursh was among those who attended the wake, alongside Pangasinan Governor Ramon Guico III and Basista Mayor Jolly Resuello Jr. DMW Regional Director Christian Rey O. Sison and OWWA OIC-Regional Director Marivic L. Mondina also joined the visit.
Israel has formally recognized De Vera as a terror victim, entitling her widower, Bernie Lavarias — who also worked in Israel — to financial assistance and a monthly stipend under the Israeli state’s national insurance system. Israeli President Isaac Herzog met personally with Lavarias in Jerusalem before the family accompanied De Vera’s remains back to the Philippines.
Her remains arrived home on March 14, received by family members and government officials. Prior to repatriation, the Philippine Embassy in Israel held a memorial service for De Vera presided over by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.
De Vera was confirmed as the first Filipino fatality in the current Israel-Iran conflict, which escalated after a joint US-Israeli military operation killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior military commanders in late February. Her death was announced by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who pledged full government support to her family.
