KUWAIT—The Philippine government on Saturday repatriated at least 100 undocumented Filipino workers from Kuwait under the amnesty program granted by the Kuwaiti government.
A total 4,494 overseas Filipino workers were already brought home through the Assistance to Nationals Fund of the Department of Foreign Affairs, under the amnesty program extended by the Kuwaiti government.
According to DFA Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola, the government had spent at least P66.1 million for plane tickets, with some 300 no-shows worth about P5 million.
On the other hand, P22.5 million was allotted for cash assistance.
Meanwhile, the DFA said the Philippine and Kuwaiti governments were still working on a common date for the visit of President Rodrigo Duterte to the Gulf state.
“We’re working on a date this June, right after Ramadan and, hopefully, they’ll come up with a common date,” DFA Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola said.
“There’s no exact date yet because the Emir should also be available,” she said, adding that once a date had been mutually agreed upon, the Kuwaiti government would then extend a formal invitation.
Asked if the upcoming trip would be an official or state visit, Arriola said the country was hoping for the latter.
“We’re hoping it’s a state visit because there had been an invitation like that but the date couldn’t be settled,” she said.
Arriola extended her gratitude to the Kuwaiti government for being “very cooperative” with the Philippine government.
The weekend flight, carrying more than 100 Filipinos on Saturday, was the third to the last flight the DFA was shouldering under the context of the Kuwaiti amnesty.
While the amnesty is set to lapse on April 22, Arriola said the DFA would still assist Filipinos seeking help after the program’s expiration.
“If they get arrested, you know because of the crackdown, we will assist them and bring them home, because we don’t turn our backs on our nationals,” she said.
“We asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs already, if there are Filipinos arrested, tell us, so that we can bring them home,” she added.
Arriola said the Philippine government would still cover the plane tickets of Filipinos who would be deported once their papers were complete.
“Yes [we will shoulder], regardless of how long the process would take. Under the amnesty there’s no arrest (but) there really is the danger of arrest after 22, and they will be forever banned by then, that’s already deportation,” she said.
Of the more than 10,000 illegal Filipino workers in Kuwait, the DFA, through its Assistance to Nationals Fund had repatriated 4,494 persons, with about 400 more expected by Sunday.
“We’re very thankful for (sic) the State of Kuwait for giving the amnesty program, for being cooperative with us,” Arriola said.
President Duterte earlier said he would visit the Gulf state to witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the protection of overseas Filipino workers in the country, following the murder of Joanna Demafelis and reported cases of maltreatment and abuses against Filipinos here.
The first negotiation on the document took place in Manila last March.
Arriola said the draft was still with the Kuwaiti government for review.
“We’re still waiting for our Kuwaiti counterparts when they’re ready for the second round of talks,” she said.