Solon favors total deployment ban to Kuwait amid Villavende's killing

If it were up to him, House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs senior vice chairman Eric Pineda said the Philippines should have imposed a total deployment ban of migrant workers to Kuwait following the killing of Filipina domestic worker Jeanelyn Villavende.
In an interview on Dobol B sa News TV aired on GMA News TV on Sunday, Pineda, who is also the chair of the House Committee on Labor and Employment, said a total deployment ban would prompt the Kuwaiti government to comply with its agreement with the Philippines to protect the welfare of overseas Filipino workers.
"Kung ako ang masusunod, total ban muna. Tignan natin kung talagang tutupad sila sa pinag-usapang MOA (memorandum of agreement) na aayusin nila agad ang problemang ito and they will bring the accused to justice," he said.
"Kung ganyan, medyo it will be satisfactory for us and it will be a deterrent for the other employers na gumawa ng kasalanan. Kapag gumawa sila ng kasalanan, makukulong sila, bitay pa," he added.
On May 11, 2018, the Philippines and Kuwait inked an agreement to protect the welfare of OFWs in the Middle Eastern state following the death of household service worker Joanna Demafelis.

Among the provisions of the deal were OFWs should have a day off and get at least seven hours of sleep daily and their passports should no longer be confiscated by their employers.
But Pineda believes that the only way to prevent cases of abuse involving Filipino migrant workers is to prohibit their deployment to other countries altogether.
"Ang solusyon lang diyan ay talagang huwag na tayong magpadala ng mga unskilled workers especially sa Middle East kasi talagang naaabuso sila," he said.
"Ang sinasabi ko sa mga kasamahan natin sa gobyerno especially sa DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) na dapat talaga let's spur the growth of business para itong mga taong ito, hindi na kailangang pumunta sa ibang bansa para maghanapbuhay," he added.
The Philippine government should also exert all efforts in ensuring the protection of OFWs in the Middle East amid the heightening tension between the US and Iran, Pineda said.
"I'm sure the DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment), the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) have contingency plan. So kailangan nating tignan nang mabuti kung ano ang gagawin nila dito," he said.
"Aside from this contingency, we should look into other options that can really work for helping these stranded workers kung sakaling kailangang mag-evacuate," he added.
Villavende was allegedly killed by her employer's wife, the DFA said last month.
DFA Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. demanded justice for Villavende's death and conveyed to the Kuwaiti Ambassador Musaed Saleh Ahmad Althwaikh the Philippine government's outrage over the killing.
Malacañang decried the death of Villavende as a “clear disregard” of the 2018 agreement between the Philippine and Kuwaiti government for the protection of OFWs.
The DOLE announced a partial deployment ban to Kuwait as a result. The said ban will cover first-time domestic helpers. It will not however cover returning OFWs and first-time skilled workers.
Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday called for a thorough study of the measure that will address the recurring killings of OFWs in Kuwait. 
Meanwhile, ACTS-OFW party-list chairman John Bertiz called on the government to impose a total deployment ban on household workers to Kuwait. —Erwin Colcol/KG, GMA News

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