IN 2018, the Philippines and Kuwait had a diplomatic row over the killing of domestic helper Joana Demafelis from Iloilo and the emirate’s kid-glove treatment of physically abusive employers. Now, here we are again dealing with a similar unfortunate incident, and it appears to be getting worse.
Did the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) rush in lifting the ban against the deployment of Filipino domestic helpers to Kuwait?
POEA declared on Feb. 14 the resumption of the processing and deployment of all categories of household service workers to Kuwait a month after it imposed a ban following the killing of Filipino domestic helper Jeanelyn Villavende. An autopsy conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation indicated that Villavende was physically and sexually abused.
In the event that another Filipino domestic helper gets killed or maimed in Kuwait, blood will be on the hands of all POEA governing board members who voted in favor of removing the deployment ban.
In fact, party-list ACTS-OFW has asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to verify reports that yet another Filipino domestic helper in Kuwait, this time from President Rodrigo’s hometown, has died.
The party-list said it is withholding the name of the deceased pending notification of kin, but it disclosed that the Filipina was 45 years old and a native of Davao City.
Last year, a Filipino domestic helper in Kuwait, Constancia Dayag, was also killed by her employer. Like Villavende, Dayag was also physically and sexually abused.
There is suspicion that the hurried lifting of the ban was due to the high-powered lobbying by Philippine-based recruitment agencies supplying Filipino domestic helpers to Kuwait. These recruiters get paid handsomely by Kuwaiti employers every time a Filipino domestic helper gets deployed but don’t care about the worker’s welfare and protection after she gets assigned to a Kuwaiti household. It is the government’s job to ensure that OFWs are protected. The POEA must remember that always.
