The Department of Foreign Affairs has been asked to extricate from Canada the remains of a domestic overseas worker who died of accidental drowning on June 6, 2014.

In a letter to Department of Foreign Affairs Usec. Jesus Yabes, Gov. Nestor Fongwan identified the dead overseas worker as one Imelda Gallate, 53, a resident of Barangay Paoay in Atok, Benguet.

Pablo Cosileng, a cousin of the victim, said Gallate was with her Canadian husband, Dennis Piper, spending their time beside a swimming pool in Ontario when her husband who was in the pool suffered a stroke.

Sensing this, Gallate went into the pool to the aid of her husband.

But in her effort to save her husband, she herself got into difficulties which eventually caused her death.

“She was herself suffering from an ailment and the stress must have worsened her condition,” said Cosileng.

Fongwan said information reaching him revealed that Gallate had just resigned from her job before the incident.

He said relatives of the victim who are also in Toronto were processing needed documents that would facilitate her repatriation to the Philippines.

The governor also sought the assistance of Manuela Peña, regional director of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, in facilitating the repatriation of Gallate’s remains.

The offices of the governor and Rep. Ronald Cosalan have been swamped with requests over the past few months for assistance in repatriating the remains of dead Benguet OFWs abroad, notably in South Korea, North America, and in the Middle East.

Last month, the assistance of both officials was also sought in the repatriation of one Teodoro Camacho of Kabayan, Benguet who died of illness while working as an OFW in Ottawa, Ontario.

Previous to this, Fongwan has also sought the assistance of Yabes in behalf of the family of Ronald Tiongan Grace of Pico, La Trinidad who died due to vehicular accident while working as a labor technician in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.