A sealed casket bearing the name Rona Jean Gervoso arrived in Sibalom, Antique last Friday, but the man who had waited two months for his wife’s body knew almost immediately that something was wrong.
Fausto Gervoso Jr. said he had doubts the moment he saw the remains, though he initially set them aside because the label matched his wife’s identity. Cosmetics had been applied to the face, yet he was certain the person before him was not Rona Jean. As reported by “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday, the body that reached the Gervoso family was actually that of Honeylith Zamoras, a fellow OFW killed in the same incident.
“I was having second thoughts. But the name Rona Jean Gervoso is right there on the box. They even put makeup on her, but the face is not my wife—this is a different person,” Fausto said in the vernacular.
A point of physical identification settled the matter. Fausto recalled that his wife wore dentures, a detail the Zamoras family was able to verify when they examined the remains.
“My wife had two dentures. When they opened her mouth, they saw the dentures. That’s why Honeylith’s mother said it really was my wife. Of course, I was dismayed—we waited months for the body, only for a mix-up to happen,” he added.
After reaching out to the Zamoras family, Fausto confirmed that the remains of both women had indeed been exchanged. Personnel from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Region 6 have since visited the household and pledged that Rona Jean’s remains would be returned from Dipolog City as soon as possible.
OWWA Region 6’s James Mendiola suggested that the turmoil in Lebanon may have contributed to the error in handling the two bodies.
The Department of Migrant Workers ordered its labor attachés in Beirut and in the Philippines to determine how the remains came to be switched. Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac accepted personal accountability and outlined the corrective steps.
“Ito ay malubhang pagkakamali at I’m taking full responsibility. I’ve communicated with both families and assured them na isasagawa ito most likely either Wednesday or Thursday,” Cacdac said.
Rather than shipping the bodies directly to the provinces, the agency intends to route them back to Manila for proper preparation. “Hindi pa ito ready na maipadala diretso; babalik muna sa Manila ang human remains ng dalawa at doon sila muling ihahanda at properly shipped,” he explained.
According to Cacdac, the families had been present to identify their loved ones and to witness the closing of the caskets, leading him to point to the funeral establishment in Beirut as a likely source of the error.
“Pero yung kahuli-hulihang stage ng pagbalot ng itim na plastik, which is unusual, at paglagay ng sticker doon sa dalawang caskets, ‘yun ang hindi malinaw kung nasaksihan pa o kung ginawa agad bago dinala sa airport in Beirut,” the secretary said.
The DMW noted that while no charges have yet been filed against whoever is responsible for the deaths, one suspect is already in the custody of authorities. Cacdac said he plans to visit both families in person to offer his apologies.
