(Eagle News) — The woman who was reported to be the recruiter of Joanna Demafelis voluntarily went to the police on Thursday and denied the allegations against her.
In a press conference at the Criminal Investigation Detection Group on Thursday, Agnes Tuballes from Iloilo said she merely referred Demafelis to one Mariz who she said helped look for Overseas Filipino Workers to be deployed abroad for Mt. Carmel Global E-Human Resources, Incorporated.
She said she received P13,000 for the referral, and since then, she did not know where Demafelis was deployed.
“Hindi ko ginusto na mamatay si Joanna dun. Lumabas ako dahil di ko makuha na inilabas niyo sa akin na ganyan..Tumulong ako para makalabas siya ng legal,” she said, as she slammed reports of some media organizations calling her the primary suspect in Demafelis’ death.
According to Tuballes, she even called Mt. Carmel to ask for help after Demafelis’ mother told her the OFW did not send money for September to October.
“Tumawag ako sa Mt. Carmel. After that, wala na kontak. Sabi ni Mt. Carmel iveverify. Ok naman daw sabi ni Mt. Carmel,” she said.
She said she assumed everything was OK because the family no longer contacted her.
She said she herself was surprised after hearing Demafelis had died.
“Di ko pinangarap na mamatay siya doon,” an emotional Tuballes said, as she asked the Demafelis family for forgiveness.
She noted that she herself worked as an OFW abroad.
Roel Obusan, CIDG director, said Tuballes was free to go home, as there was nothing to hold her in detention for.
Demafelis was found in a freezer in an abandoned apartment in Kuwait.
Her death and other reports of abuse prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to impose a ban on the deployment of OFWs to Kuwait.