Philippine officials defended measures to protect Filipino migrant workers in Kuwait that triggered a retaliatory response from the Kuwaiti government, which banned the entry of new OFWs.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said its senior officials and those from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) met with their Kuwait counterparts in talks held Tuesday and Wednesday.
“The delegation explained that all actions taken by the Philippine embassy and the Philippine government are solely to ensure the safety and welfare of our own nationals,” the DFA statement read.
“Providing protection to a country’s citizens abroad is a well-established duty of consular offices under international law and conventions,” it added.
During the talks, Philippine officials said they “expressed full respect” for Kuwaiti laws and thanked their Kuwaiti counterparts “for the hospitality of its government and people to more than 200,000 Filipino workers who consider Kuwait as their second home.”
“The Philippines remains open to constructive dialogue on how to address current concerns,” the government said, without disclosing details if the entry ban was indeed tackled during the talks.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said the suspension of visa issuance and the entry ban on Filipinos will stay as the Philippines tries to hash out “a long-term solution” to issues between the two nations involving overseas Filipinos working there.
De Vega said the Kuwaiti government wants to remove the shelters for runaway household workers because these are not allowed under its laws.
He added that the Kuwaiti government also does not want the Philippine government to contact the employers of OFWs who reported abuse and other concerns.
“They insist we are violating their law. So it’s still status quo. We will need more talks,” De Vega said Thursday.
De Vega underscored the need to implement the existing Philippine-Kuwait labor agreement.
“This kind of long-term solution will not be achieved in one round of discussions. The alternative would be for us to immediately agree to everything they insist on, or for them to agree to everything we insist on,” he said.
“That is not realistic in diplomatic negotiations, even with a friend and partner like Kuwait.”
Kuwait imposed an entry ban and suspended the visa issuance to all Filipinos coming to the Gulf state in May, 10 months after the Philippine government halted the deployment of first-time household service workers there, after a Filipino domestic helper was murdered by the son of her employer.
Kuwait did not formally disclose the reason behind its decision but the local media reported that it stemmed from the country’s alleged non-compliance with the 2018 labor agreement concerning the operation of a temporary shelter for distressed Filipinos inside the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait.
