Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Villa has been declared persona non-grata and ordered to leave the country within a week by the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry
The Ministry said its action against the top Filipino envoy was in retaliation to undiplomatic acts committed by Philippine embassy staff: encouraging Filipino domestic workers to flee employers’ households.
The Kuwaiti government also slammed the release of the video of the operations to the media, which later on was uploaded on the internet.
After news about Villa’s ‘persona non-grata’ status broke out, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were quick to react on the issue.
Some OFWs defended Villa and his intentions to protect the welfare of Filipino workers in the Gulf state who cannot call for help. Some suggested that all OFWs in Kuwait be sent home.
While some OFWs came to Villa’s defense, others understood Kuwaiti government’s decision to expel the former Philippine ambassador from the country.
