The Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III said that the Philippine government is ready to offer alternative employment if total deployment ban in Kuwait would be ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Sec. Bello assured that the government is ready for the return of overseas Filipino workers who will be affected by the possible deployment ban in Kuwait, reported Philstar.
“I hope it will not (happen). But if the ban pushes through, I think we are ready in case OFWs will return home because there are alternative markets for them like China. For our medical workers, there is Canada and United Kingdom,” he said.
The deployment ban was imposed following the deaths of seven OFWs in Kuwait.
Sec. Bello also said that these seven cases are now being investigated by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO).
“I am expecting the report from our POLO to be done in 15 days upon issuance of the suspension order. If it will be established that the deaths were caused by maltreatment and abuses, we will declare a total deployment ban,” Bello said.
If foul play is not proven after the investigation, Bello said that the deployment ban in Kuwait will be withdrawn.
Because of the seven cases of death, processing of overseas employment certificate (OECs) and deployment of newly hired OFWs to Kuwait has also been suspended.
“From 2016 to 2017, we have recorded a total of 1,447 maltreatment cases among OFWs in Kuwait, a total of 2,959 contract violations, 227 cases of sexual abuse and 63 cases of rape,” he said.
President Rodrigo Duterte previously said that if another case of Filipino being abused in the said Arab country happens, he would not hesitate to impose a total deployment ban.
