Pro-OFW solon backs permanent deployment ban of maids to Kuwait


ACTS OFW party-list Representative John Bertiz III on Monday expressed support to President Rodrigo Duterte's statement to permanently ban the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait as well as his appeal for those already in the Middle Eastern state to come home.
"I fully support the President's decision of permanently banning the deployment of Domestic Workers in Kuwait as it is a non-compliant country based on RA 8042 or The Migrant Workers Act," Bertiz said in a statement.
In a press conference early Sunday morning upon his arrival from Singapore, Duterte said the total deployment ban he ordered for Filipino workers to Kuwait, especially domestic workers, "stays permanently."
"There will be no more recruitment... especially domestic helpers. Wala na," he said.
Bertiz said the problem in Kuwait mainly is on domestic workers who are not covered by that country's labor laws.
“In the case of professionals in Kuwait, there’s really no problem because they are protected by the country's labor laws and their own skills. Employers avoid mistreating highly skilled staff because they are difficult to replace,” he said.
“But in the case of domestic workers, we really have to discourage their deployment to countries where they have little or no legal protection,” Bertiz added.
Without sufficient legal protection, Bertiz said, Filipino domestic workers are more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.
Despite a series of repatriations, Bertiz said there are still around 1,000 Filipino workers left in shelters under the Philippine Embassy there.
“They are mostly domestic workers who ran away from their employers because they were forced to live and work in extremely poor conditions,” he said.
"As a lawmaker and the lone Representative of OFWs in the 17th Congress, it is my belief and conviction that we should not let our fellow Filipinos work in countries that do not assure their rights, welfare, and protection. That is why I salute our President on his firm stand because he only has the best interest of our workers in mind," Bertiz added.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, however, pointed out earlier in the day that the deployment ban for Filipino migrant workers to Kuwait will remain on "status quo" unless a memorandum of understanding is signed between the Philippines and the Gulf state. —Erwin Colcol/KBK, GMA News

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