OWWA, RP Consulate to help repatriate late pastor’s remains

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration on Saipan said yesterday that it would go to the aid of the God’s Victorious Army church, whose pastor Augusto Felia passed away Monday night.

Welfare officer Mary Dait and Labor Representative Joan Lourdes Lavilla said they would meet today with the Overseas Filipino Workers Support Group, which is composed of Filipino nonresident workers who are leaders of different Filipino organizations in the Commonwealth.

Dait said she would like to clarify yesterday’s report that her office allegedly turned down the church’s request for assistance to repatriate Felia’s remains back to the Philippines.

“No one visited our office and if there is any, I would have known about it,” she said, adding that when a contract worker seeks their assistance her staff immediately refers the worker to her office.

Pastor Felia, she said, held a status of missionary in the CNMI, and thus was not covered by her office. Dait said that, since Felia was not an OWWA member, the God’s Victorious Army could have immediately referred his case to the Philippine Consulate General.

Dait emphasized, though, that her office’s assistance is not limited to simply referring the case to the consulate because the fact still remains that Felia was a Filipino.

She said she was able to speak to a Filipino group leader a day after the pastor died. She said they were able to discuss plans on how to help raise funds for the repatriation of Felia’s body to Manila then back to his hometown in Romblon, Philippines.

Lavilla said the Philippine Consulate General is also doing something to help Felia. She expressed hope that members of Felia’s church would go to the consulate and coordinate with them the immediate repatriation of the late pastor’s remains.

God’s Victorious Army is a small 12-year-old Christian church in the CNMI with a total membership of 40.

Robert Lacanilao, a member of the church, earlier said that Felia, 54, passed away on Jan. 30. Felia, he said, died in his sleep. His lifeless body was discovered by one of the church members inside his room.

The pastor was immediately brought to the Commonwealth Health Center, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Immanuel Methodist Church Pastor Jim Sembrano, who is Villa’s close friend, said Felia’s remains are still at the hospital due to lack of funds.

Sembrano said that, since Felia was a missionary with an accompanying missionary resident status in the CNMI, he doesn’t have any employer who would take care of the hospital bills. Sembrano said Villa also didn’t receive any salary as a pastor when he was alive.

Sembrano said God’s Victorious Army has been trying to raise funds for the late pastor but it is still not enough to pay for the hospital bills and the repatriation of his remains to his hometown in the Philippines.

He said the local funeral service initially asked the church for $10,000 to cover the funeral service for the pastor but due to God’s Victorious Army’s limited resources, the company lowered the asking price to $4,700. The fee already includes the transportation of the body to Manila.

Lacanilao said a local Filipino group has already pledged help for Felia. God’s Victorious Army is currently holding nightly prayer services at their Susupe church. He said those who want to help the late pastor could contact the church at 235-9246.