DFA wants more ‘pragmatic’ measures put in before lifting Kuwait deployment ban


By JON VIKTOR D. CABUENAS, GMA News
The government will continue to ban the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait unless the latter agrees to impose more "pragmatic" measures to ensure the safety of overseas workers, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Sunday.
In an emailed statement, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said there have been developments in the ongoing negotiations, but more measures have to be imposed.
"Our negotiations with Kuwait have so far been going well but we need to put in place more practical measures that would ensure the safety and welfare of our kababayans working there," he said.
"As we move forward in the negotiations, we hope to incorporate more practical measures that would better protect our kababayans working there from exploitation and abuse," he added.
According to Cayetano, among the measures being pushed for are that Filipino domestic workers be paid a minimum monthly salary of KD120.00.
They should also be given at least eight hours' rest daily, be allowed possession of their passports and mobile phones, and their work must be limited to only one household.
"This will ensure that our kababayans do not get shortchanged and will receive the salary they originally signed up for," Cayetano said.
"We really must work with Kuwait to make sure we come up with an implementable agreement that would contain guarantees for the protection of our workers," he added.
President Rodrigo Duterte in February announced the suspension of the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait, after Joanna Demafelis, a Filipino woman, was found dead in a freezer at an abandoned apartment in the Gulf State.
Kuwait's foreign minister condemned the ban, as he called the decision of the government an "escalation."
The country, however, has agreed to the initial conditions set by the Philippine government for lifting the total ban on the deployment of first-time Filipino workers.
With this, officials of the DFA will be meeting with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday to discuss issues and reforms that will favor overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). — BM, GMA News

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