JOBS here await the Filipino workers in Kuwait”•particularly in the construction sector—as a result of the government’s Build, Build Build Program, the Budget department said Wednesday.
Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the country needed more workers as the government embarked on its largest infrastructure program.
“We need more warm bodies given our Build, Build, Build Program. We need more welders, we need more electricians, we need more engineers,” Diokno said.
Meanwhile, Senator Nancy Binay on Wednesday sought assurance from the Labor and Foreign Affairs departments that they would provide assistance to the Filipino workers affected by the diplomatic row between the Philippines and Kuwait.
“I am calling on the DFA, DoLE and OWWA to ensure that the Filipinos affected by the permanent employment ban on Kuwait will not have to come home empty-handed,” said Binay who heads the Senate committee on social justice, welfare and rural development.
While hoping the rift between the Philippines and Kuwait would be resolved soon, Senator Richard Gordon on Wednesday said the government was duty-bound to give priority to the protection and safety of Filipino workers here and abroad.
The Duterte administration expects to spend some P8 trillion to P9 trillion for some 75 flagship projects under the Build, Build, Build Program before its term expires in 2022.
Last week, President Rodrigo Duterte appealed to the Filipinos in Kuwait to return home as a result of the row between the two nations.
In a television interview on Monday, Labor Undersecretary Jacinto Paras said some 60,000 workers from Kuwait might heed Duterte and return home.
Diokno said the government could afford the transportation expenses of the Filipinos who were ready to return home.
“We can afford it. If they want to come back, we will provide the transportation,” Diokno said.
with Macon Ramos-Araneta