Forty-five days after Dorothy Viloria died of a heart attack in Kuwait, her family in Dagupan City can finally grieve with her beside them.
The 41-year-old overseas worker passed away on March 2. Her remains reached her hometown this week, according to GMA Regional TV, capping a weeks-long wait that her family described as both painful and, at its end, quietly relieving.
Her son Lawrence Brudo said the moment her body arrived brought a complicated kind of comfort.
“After 45 days nakasama na rin namin si Mama kaya masaya din kahit papano, kahit sa kaunting time bago siya mailibing ay makasama pa namin siya,” he said.
Multiple government agencies moved to support the family following Viloria’s death. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Department of Migrant Workers both extended assistance, while Dagupan City’s local government covered chapel fees and funeral arrangements.
Migrant Desk Officer Joy Siapno confirmed the extent of the city’s involvement.
“Nabigyan na po siya ng assistance ng LGU, ng funeral assistance. ‘Yung chapel, shoulder na ng LGU kung saan nakalagak ‘yung remains ng OFW,” she said.
City officials personally visited the family on April 16 to deliver condolences alongside the aid package, which also included educational support for Viloria’s children. For Brudo, that commitment carried the weight of a promise he made to his mother.
“Malaking tulong sa akin kasi noong nabubuhay pa si Mama talagang sinabi niya na makapag-aral ako at gagawin ko talaga ‘yun hindi ko bibiguin si Mama,” he said.
