President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, May 16, has ordered the total lifting of the deployment ban to Kuwait following the signing of the labor deal between the Philippines and the Gulf state.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the President ordered labor secretary Silvestre Bello III to lift the deployment ban to Kuwait for all overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) upon the recommendation of special envoy to the Gulf state Abdullah Mama-o.
“Upon recommendation of Special Envoy to Kuwait Abdullah Mama-o, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte tonight instructed Secretary Silvestre Bello to totally lift the ban on deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait,” Roque said around 8:30 pm on Wednesday.
The deployment ban was imposed in February after the discovery of the body of OFW Joanna Demafelis whose body was found stuffed inside a freezer in an abandoned apartment in Kuwait.
The discovery prompted the two countries to draft an agreement that will protect the welfare of the OFWs in Kuwait.
The Philippine government also demanded justice for the slain Filipina which later on translated to a Kuwaiti court sentencing the employers of the OFW, who were identified as the primary suspects to the crime, to death by hanging.
The two countries, however, had a diplomatic rift when videos of an “uncoordinated” rescue of OFWs, spearheaded by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), were released to the media and surfaced on the internet – a move the Kuwaiti government labeled as “inappropriate behavior.”
Despite the rift, the two countries settled the issues and signed the labor deal on May 11.
Under the labor deal, domestic helpers need to be provided with proper clothing, food, and accommodation. They should also be allowed to keep their cellphones so they could call for help in cases of emergency. Aside from these, they must be allowed to have a minimum of 8 hours of sleep and ample food.
Aside from these, OFWs will likewise be asked to have their passports deposited at the Philippine Embassy.
The Kuwaiti government has agreed to create a special unit within their police force which the Embassy can coordinate with in times of emergency calls from OFWs.
A special phone number for OFW assistance will likewise be set up.
