An Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) has been hospitalized in Kuwait after attempting to escape her employer’s house, according to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). Myla Balbag, who was working in the Hayteen area, fell from the third floor of her employer’s house after a confrontation over her use of TikTok. Balbag is currently being treated for multiple leg and spine fractures in a local hospital.
There have been speculations that Balbag may have attempted suicide, but Overseas Workers Welfare Administration chief Arnell Ignacio has stated that such an act is punishable under Kuwaiti law. The OWWA will be providing her with a lawyer in case her employer files a case of attempted suicide against her.
The death of another OFW, 35-year-old Jullebee Ranara, was reported in Kuwait last month. Her burnt body was found in a desert and the Kuwaiti authorities have confirmed that they have arrested the suspect, who was the son of Ranara’s employer. The Philippine government has not yet imposed a ban on the deployment of OFWs to Kuwait, but the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is considering additional safeguards to ensure the safety of OFWs in the country.
Senator Raffy Tulfo, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers, has pushed for the gradual withdrawal of OFWs from Kuwait and transferring them to places where they are treated with respect and receive proper compensation. He has also called for the implementation of a strict screening process and psychiatric examinations for employers in high-risk countries for the protection of OFWs.
