After Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte instructed DOLE to implement total deployment ban of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to Kuwait, the Kuwaiti government expressed being affected and condemns the escalation of the said deployment ban.
On Tuesday, February 13, Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah told the reporters in Kuwait: “We condemn the statements of the Philippine president, especially since we are in contact with the Philippines at the highest level to fully explain the state of the Filipino workforce in Kuwait.
Recounting the previous days, Duterte had expressed being enraged as he showed photos of a Filipina domestic helper who was found dead inside a freezer whom he said was roasted by a pig. He also condemned Arab employers who raped their workers, let them work for 21 hours a day and were fed with scraps. Unfortunately, domestic helpers are not covered by their ordinary labor legislation.
“Is there something wrong with your culture? Is there something wrong with your values?”
According to the Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Abas Al-Saleh, they had exerted all efforts to reach out to the Philippines regarding the many unfortunate incidents and the issue of Filipino domestic labor.
On the other hand, Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah expressed having regrets about the statements made by Duterte regarding the situation of the OFWs which was followed by a decision to suspend the deployment of manpower to Kuwait. He then emphasized that the Filipino community is appreciated like all other nationalities in Kuwait.
In a separate report, recently, more than 200 OFWs were held at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) by the Immigration where clearances were not issued by Immigration and POEA brought by
Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti Cabinet has accepted recommendations which allowed Al-Durra company to bring in workers from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Nepal.
