The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said Wednesday that first-time household service workers (HSWs) who were supposedly leaving for Kuwait may be diverted to other countries.
POEA administrator Bernard Olalia said that HSWs affected by the deployment ban to Kuwait may be flown to countries like Hong kong, Singapore, and Cyprus.
“It’s a stop-gap measure to address the problem, but that’s not the long-term goal,” he told ANC.
Olalia added that the countries also have high demand for HSWs.
“The market in Hong Kong is 150,000 job orders per year,” Olalia explained, “We have to fill that out.”
Meanwhile, Olalia also said that POEA will look into other abusive countries for OFWs and will recommend a deployment ban if necessary.
“If their protection and security are not assured then we have to advise the President that the total deployment ban should be imposed,” he said.
On February 9, the Philippine government announced the total deployment ban of OFWs to Kuwait following the death of Joanna Demafelis whose body was found inside a freezer of an apartment in the Gulf state.
Since the imposition of the deployment ban, more than 1,700 Filipino workers have been repatriated to the Philippines.
PHOTO: THE TIMES OF KUWAIT
