Filipina's gruesome murder: what the Dubai Police say

  DUBAI – As news of the gruesome murder of a Filipina household worker in the UAE continued to shock the Filipino community, the Dubai Police said the incident is "not reflective on the culture of Filipinos" in the emirates as a whole. Philippine Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes said that members of the Dubai Police conveyed the message when they paid a visit to the consulate in Dubai on Thursday (September 22) to confirm the identity of the victim and to offer their condolences. “The Dubai Police assured that they do not believe that the gruesomeness of the case truly reflects the culture of the Filipinos,” Cortes said. The comments came as Filipinos took to social media to call for swift justice for Ma. Normita de Lima, 46, a housemaid in Abu Dhabi whose headless body was found in a desert in Dubai. Police were able to confirm her identity and arrest the suspect after a three-month investigation. “May awa ang Diyos, kabayan. Lalabas ang katotohanan. (God has mercy. The truth will prevail),” said Solon L. in a Facebook comment. Details of gruesome murder revealed On Wednesday, the Dubai Police revealed details of the murder of de Lima, who was first identified in media reports as Manormita Dadi. Consul General Cortes said the disparity in the name may have stemmed from translation errors from Arabic to English. Police  have identified the murder suspect as de Lima’s Filipino nephew, J.A.S., who works in Dubai. He was later identified in media reports as Glen. Police said that the suspect, who is currently detained at Rashidiya Police Station, had stabbed his aunt dead following a dispute over a Dh10,000 debt. The suspect then allegedly beheaded her and chopped off both her hands and then burned the body parts before burying them in a sandy area in Ajman. He then dumped her headless body in a Dubai desert, police said. Dubai Police on Friday released a video reconstructing the circumstances surrounding the Filipina's death: The victim's husband, Salvio, a member of the Philippine National Police, said he last spoke with his wife on May 23. The following day, her employer reported that she had absconded from work. De Lima's relative also reported her missing at the Philippine embassy in Abu Dhabi. Her headless body was found on May 25, while police in June asked the public to help identify the body. Dubai Police said that after an extensive three-month investigation, they were able to identify the victim after matching her DNA with those taken from her belongings. De Lima, from Pulangi in Albay, arrived in the UAE in December, 2015 on a tourist visa before working as a housemaid in Abu Dhabi, said Consul General Cortes. She has two children, aged 13 and 15. Victim's husband wants to travel to UAE Consul General Cortes said that de Lima was not a member of the Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration but that the consulate in Dubai will help arrange the repatriation of her remains and "whatever the family will merit favourable consideration". Cortes also said that the victim's husband has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila and wants to travel to the UAE to claim his wife's remains. "Of course as far as we are concerned we can assist in whatever way there is," Cortes said, "I have to time his arrival here with the documentation so that he doesn't have to wait long." Family calls for justice Meanwhile, the victim's husband, Salvio, in an interview with Philippine media, said that his family was overcome with grief and that he could not believe that his wife's nephew killed her. On Facebook, Raf Maclang, who identified himself as a relative of the suspect, described Glen as a "very simple" man who worked "for years in Cavite City Public Market selling goods" like food and fruits. "Glen was a very good man and ideal responsible and good father to his family," he wrote on his Facebook page. ExpatMedia.Net could not immediately get a comment from Maclang. In Dubai, Consul General Cortes said the suspect remains in police detention and "hasn’t approached the consulate to ask for legal assistance" but that the consulate is ready to offer legal help. Cortes said that a trial is expected. "We’ll let the UAE justice system go through with this," he said.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