DFA team in Kuwait to help embassy repatriate undocumented OFWs

Manila Bulletin

Published 
By Roy Mabasa
A Department of Foreign Affairs augmentation team is currently in Kuwait to assist the Philippine Embassy in the repatriation of undocumented Overseas Filipino Workers who availed the amnesty given by the Kuwait government.
(Manila Bulletin)
(Manila Bulletin)
So far the Philippine government have repatriated 4,175 undocumented OFWs and there are still 563 awaiting their repatriation.
According to the DFA, those who still want to file their amnesty application may do so at the Philippine Embassy despite the deadline for filing set last April 12 by the embassy.
More Philippine government officials will be visiting Kuwait by next week before the amnesty ends on April 22 to look into the repatriation of undocumented OFWs.
Aside from the undocumented OFWs, the DFA augmentation team will also help the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in the repatriation of more than a thousand distressed HSWs housed at the POLO-OWWA shelters in Al Siddique and Surra, respectively. who were mostly victims of various forms of sexual, verbal or physical abuse, nonpayment of salaries, lack of food and overwork.
Some of its members have also embarked on rescue missions in cooperation with Kuwait police authorities to help extract distressed household service workers from the house of abusive employers.
The DFA disclosed that President Duterte will be visiting Kuwait the moment the Philippines and Kuwait are all set to sign the memorandum of understanding on the protection and deployment of Filipino household service workers (HSWs) to Kuwait.
The Philippine side is still waiting for its Kuwaiti counterpart for the second joint bilateral talks to discuss and finalize the unified contract for Filipino HSWs.

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