For 28 years he had been working overseas. Now Raymundo Dimaculangan will finally come home to Cabuyao, Laguna -- but in a box.
Dimaculangan, 53, was found brutally mutilated and dead in his quarters in Saudi Arabia last April 17. Whoever killed him and why remain unclear, but the Saudi police have arrested five suspects, all Filipinos, for their alleged involvement in the crime.
Lorna Dimaculangan, sister of Raymundo, said family members received a text message last week from his brother's co-workers at the Saudi Electricity Company informing them that their brother had not reported for work for three days.
On April 17, worried co-workers went to Raymundo's quarters and found it locked. They also saw his service vehicle parked outside his quarters.
The co-workers, mostly fellow Filipinos, called for police assistance in opening Raymundo's quarters. When the door was finally unlocked, they found Dimaculangan's lifeless body inside.
Lorna told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that his brother had been savagely killed. Citing a text message, she said, "My brother was said to have suffered a horrible death. His leg was severed, his ribs broken and his neck slashed."
Lorna said Raymundo's wife, Nenita, was still in shock. She saw him last in December, when her husband went home to his wife and their three children for a month-long vacation.
Based on initial police investigation in Saudi Arabia, there was no forced entry in Dimaculangan's quarters. Lorna added, "According to his co-workers, based on investigation by Saudi police, his money and belongings were all intact.â€
Lorna said there was a strong possibility that his brother knew who his killer was and that he was a fellow Filipino.
"When they opened the door, the police and co-workers found that food had been prepared. He had a visitor or visitors. That was the text message sent to us," she said.
She said they had received word on Monday that Saudi policemen had arrested five suspects. "No name had yet been given to us, but we were told that all those arrested were Filipinos."
She said relatives' priority now was to have the remains of her brother brought home. "We're crying for justice, but we would like first of all to have his body brought home at the soonest time."
But Lorna said that an officer from the Overseas Welfare Workers Administration in Saudi Arabia told her that it might take some time before they were able to bring home Raymundo's cadaver.
The same message was personally relayed to Lorna by one Attorney Salem of the Department of Foreign Affairs' Legal Affairs Division. "Attorney Salem told us they condoled with us, but they estimated that it would take months before the body was brought home," Lorna said.
The relatives went to the office of Vice President Noli de Castro, who is also presidential adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers, to seek assistance in having the body brought home immediately.
Subsequently, De Castro had asked the Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia to expedite repatriation of Dimaculangan's remains.
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