PH stops sending workers to Kuwait

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BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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February 13, 2018
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MANILA – On the order of President Rodrigo Duterte, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has banned the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) to Kuwait.

The policy stemmed from the unresolved deaths of OFWs in the Middle East country, DOLE secretary Silvestre Bello III told a news conference yesterday.

“In pursuit of national interest, a total ban on deployment of all overseas Filipino workers to Kuwait pursuant to the directive of the President of the Philippines is hereby enforced,” read part of Bello’s order.

A domestic worker from Iloilo province – Joanna Daniela Demafelis – was the latest OFW death in Kuwait. She was found stuffed in a freezer in an abandoned apartment last week.

Bello said the deployment ban could force the Kuwaiti government to sign the proposed agreement on additional protections for Filipino workers from their employers.

In a related development, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) called for a “concrete action” from the Kuwaiti government to address the maltreatment of Filipinos in Kuwait.

The DFA urged its counterparts yesterday to facilitate the early conclusion of a bilateral labor agreement on the protection of Filipino household service workers.

In a statement, the DFA said it conveyed to Kuwait Ambassador Saleh Ahmad Althwaik “its strongest protest over the abuses and maltreatment, labor violations and the failure of Kuwaiti authorities to provide protection to Filipino nationals.”

“Records show that abuses in Kuwait have persisted in spite of the Philippine government’s effort to prosecute perpetrators of abuse and to negotiate a bilateral labor agreement,” said Raul Dado, executive director of the DFA’s Office of Migrant Workers Affairs.

“The total ban on deployment stems from the President’s decision to ensure that all OFWs are protected in countries where they work,” he said.

Dado said Kuwait has a draft of the bilateral labor agreement but has not signed it yet. (With a report from Philippine News Agency/PN)
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