The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has pledged to offer legal and other forms of aid to Hazel Ann Morales after she was arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of abandoning the bodies of a Japanese couple who were allegedly stabbed to death in their home.
Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac, the officer-in-charge of DMW, stated that the department has initiated discussions with relevant government agencies in Japan to ensure that Morales receives legal representation. “It has come to our attention and we are fully in touch with the Japanese authorities to help her,” Cacdac said in an interview over Teleradyo.
“We are already geared up to provide legal assistance. We are in coordination with the Japanese authorities and have made it known to them that we intend to provide such legal and other forms of assistance to her,” he added.
Morales was reportedly arrested earlier in the week over allegations of deserting the Japanese couple. The extent of her involvement in the crime remains unclear at this time.
Cacdac affirmed that DMW is closely working with the Department of Foreign Affairs regarding Morales’s case. “We will provide the best legal defense for her,” he assured.
He also noted that DMW has begun communicating with Morales’s family in the Philippines to keep them informed about the government’s efforts, which include providing all forms of assistance.
