Duterte to Kuwait, MidEast countries: Treat my countrymen as human beings



President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday appealed to Kuwait and other Middle Eastern countries to treat Filipino workers "as human beings" amid widespread reports of abuses, with some resulting in deaths.
"Can I ask you now just to treat my countrymen as human beings with dignity," Duterte, who is bound for New Delhi for the ASEAN-India Special Commemorative Summit, said during his pre-departure speech at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. 
Duterte's statement was met with applause from those present in the event.
“I do not want to fight with you. We are poor, we may need your help, but we will not do it at the expense of the dignity of the Filipino.”
Before Duterte made the remark, he acknowledged the presence of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, who will join him in India. “I hope I am not committing a diplomatic faux pas,” hesaid.
He also reiterated his warning of a total deployment ban to Kuwait if he hears another tale of abuse.
“And I’m sorry, the Filipinos there, you can all go home. Tutal ‘pag na — nag-alis kayo lahat na mga Pilipino diyan, they will also be having a hell of a time adjusting to that,” he said.
“Hindi ako papayag na… a continuous incident of things like that. They have to endure rape, they have to endure starvation, and they get about only four hours — that’s a universal story for all Filipinos,” Duterte added.
An estimated 10 million Filipinos work overseas, majority of them in the Middle East, and the money they send home helps spur economic growth. In Kuwait, there is an estimated 260,000 Filipino workers, 170,000 of them employed as household service workers (HSWs), who are considered vulnerable and prone to abuses.
Last week, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) suspended the deployment of newly hired OFWs to Kuwait pending investigation on the deaths of seven Filipino workers there.
Labor Secretary Silvestre  Bello III ordered the suspension a day after Duterte said he is mulling banning the deployment of OFWs to Kuwait amid reports of maltreatment.
On Wednesday, Duterte said he will "never again" tolerate another incident of a Filipino worker getting raped abroad.
"I hope that you'd listen to me because I mean well, but I will never, never, never again tolerate another incident of rape to the point of committing of suicide, jumping out the window. That is something the Filipino people cannot stomach," he said.
"If I can't do something about it, then there's no reason for me to stay in this position any minute longer," Duterte added.
Sami Abdulaiz Al Hamad, Assistant Foreign Minister for Consulate Affairs Ambassador, has met with Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Pedro Villa Jr. to request for the lifting of the suspension. —Trisha Macas/KBK, GMA News

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