A year after she publicly appealed for help from authorities through DAILY TRIBUNE’s digital show Usapang OFW, the daughter of a detained Filipino worker in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia says there have been no further updates regarding her father’s case.

Michaela Sequiño, daughter of OFW John Michael, had called in July 2024 on First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and relevant agencies like the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

She told this paper that the last development in the case dates back to August, a month after her appeal aired.

“After one month, my father called me and informed me that the embassy [Philippine Embassy in Riyadh] went there; this was the last update,” Michaela said.

OFW John Michael left the Philippines to work in KSA as a driver when she was only seven years old. Around December 2013, news surfaced that her father had been arrested.

An English-language newspaper, Arab News, reported that a Filipino driver allegedly killed his 56-year-old Saudi sponsor, citing a conflict between the two as a possible motive.

Although the publication did not explicitly identify the Filipino involved, Michaela confirmed it was her father. She said the altercation stemmed from a salary issue and that her father acted in self-defense.

Michaela said she gets to talk with her father once a month. She also occasionally speaks to his fellow detainees, who assure her that he is doing fine.

But her father’s fate remains uncertain.

In 2018, the OFW’s family wrote to then interim Migrant Workers Secretary Abdullah Mama-o to check on John Michael. However, they did not receive any follow-up or official update.

As of this writing, DAILY TRIBUNE is reaching out to relevant authorities and is awaiting their response.