The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is coordinating with authorities in Hong Kong to locate two missing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), while simultaneously announcing legal victories in a death case in Kuwait and sanctions against a manning agency.

DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac confirmed that the agency is working with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Philippine Consulate General’s office in Hong Kong and is also in direct coordination with the Hong Kong Police Force and the Hong Kong Immigration Department for assistance in the search.

The two missing Filipinas were identified as Mahilum Pabuaya and Aleli Perez Tibay, and the Migrant Workers Office in Hong Kong reported that the two were last seen on 4 October in the Tsuen Wan District.

Philippine Consul General in Hong Kong Romulo Victor M. Israel Jr. said initial, unverified information suggested the two women may have gone to a hiking trail. He dismissed speculation that the women may have exited Hong Kong illegally, stressing that all possible exit points pass through immigration controls.

The Consul General urged the public to avoid spreading unverified information and to share credible leads immediately with the Consulate or the Hong Kong police.

Cacdac said that the agency has reached out to the families of the two missing women to provide assistance, including legal, medical, and psychosocial support.

In a separate development, Cacdac announced that a court in Kuwait has convicted the perpetrator in the death of 35-year-old Filipina OFW Dafnie Nacalaban.

The perpetrator has been sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment, and three others were found guilty as accomplices, each sentenced to one year in prison, Cacdac said in a separate interview Wednesday.

“The processes may still not be over in terms of the possibility of appeal, but already we are thankful to the Kuwaiti authorities for the judgment that delivers justice to Daphne and her family,” Cacdac said.

The DMW is providing continuous support to Nacalaban’s family in Mindanao. Nacalaban was reported missing last October before her body was found in a decomposed state at her employer’s residence. Her remains were repatriated in February.

In another development, the DMW ordered the suspension of both the manning agency and the principal company of the vessel MV Minervagracht, following an attack on the cargo ship last month.

Cacdac confirmed the issuance of the suspension order, noting that the surviving injured Filipino seafarer has returned home. The DMW also accompanied the family of the deceased crew member in Djibouti and is arranging for the repatriation of the remains, which is expected to take one to two weeks.

Ten of the 12 Filipino crew members of the vessel were repatriated on 4 October after they were rescued through international naval operations. Cacdac noted that the seafarers were not given the chance to exercise their right to refuse to sail, a right protected under the Department of Migrant Workers Act for those in war-like and high-risk areas.