{"id":18935,"date":"2026-03-03T09:14:45","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T01:14:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/?p=18935"},"modified":"2026-03-03T09:14:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T01:14:45","slug":"chiz-condoles-with-family-of-filipina-caregiver-killed-in-airstrike-calls-on-govt-to-build-economy-where-working-abroad-is-not-a-necessity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/2026\/03\/03\/chiz-condoles-with-family-of-filipina-caregiver-killed-in-airstrike-calls-on-govt-to-build-economy-where-working-abroad-is-not-a-necessity\/","title":{"rendered":"CHIZ CONDOLES WITH FAMILY OF FILIPINA CAREGIVER KILLED IN AIRSTRIKE; CALLS ON GOV\u2019T TO BUILD ECONOMY WHERE WORKING ABROAD IS NOT A NECESSITY"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>SENATOR Francis \u201cChiz\u201d Escudero mourned the death of \u00a0Mary Ann de Vera, a Filipina caregiver who lost her life while saving her employer <\/strong><strong>during an Iranian missile attack on Tel Aviv in Israel amid the ongoing Middle East conflict.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>According to Escudero, no Filipino should have to pay the ultimate price simply because she wanted to provide for her loved ones in the Philippines.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cI extend my deepest condolences to the family of Mary Ann de Vera, our kababayan who lost her life amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East. No Filipino should have to pay the ultimate price simply because she sought honest work to provide for her loved ones,\u201d Escudero said.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The veteran\u00a0 senator said the Philippine<\/strong><strong> government must act with urgency to ensure the safety of every Filipino in the affected regions. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cThis must be our foremost priority. I echo calls for the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Migrant Workers to ensure that contingency and evacuation plans are fully operational, and for the said agencies to provide direct, proactive communication with our OFWs in vulnerable areas\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Escudero said that for decades, millions of Filipinos have left home not because they wanted to, but because they felt they had to. They braved distance, uncertainty, and in some cases instability, simply to earn a living. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cThis tragedy reminds us that while we honor the sacrifice of our OFWs, we must also confront the reality that many leave for regions that are economically promising yet geopolitically fragile,\u201d the senator from Bicol said. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cOur long-term response must therefore focus on development at home \u2014 sustained job creation, stronger local industries, competitive wages, food and energy security, and real opportunities in our provinces,\u201d he added. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Escudero said the government must build an economy where working abroad is a choice, not a necessity\u2014because our countrymen deserve a choice. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cOut countrymen deserve a choice, a choice to stay close to their families without sacrificing dignity or opportunity. A choice to pursue prosperity without placing themselves in harm\u2019s way. A choice to build their future here in the Philippines if they so wish,\u201d he noted. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cWe will continue to honor and protect our overseas Filipino workers. But the greater tribute we can offer them is to build a nation strong enough that leaving home is no longer the only path to a better life for their family,\u201d the former Senate leader said.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SENATOR Francis &ldquo;Chiz&rdquo; Escudero mourned the death of &nbsp;Mary Ann de Vera, a Filipina caregiver who lost her life while saving her employer during an<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18935"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18935"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18937,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18935\/revisions\/18937"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}