The high-level team dispatched by the government to Kuwait will hold exploratory talks with their counterparts from the Gulf state, but this does not guarantee that the entry ban for new Filipino workers will be lifted immediately.
“We have to explore our options. The meetings will be exploratory talks first,” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega said in a radio interview.
“I hope our countrymen will understand that we cannot guarantee the return of normal deployment of our skilled workers right away. We have to prioritize attaining justice and the protection of our fellow Filipinos working as househelps,” he added.
The team left Monday for the Middle Eastern country.
Among its members are DFA Assistant Secretary for Middle East and African Affairs Mardomel Melicor and Ariel Javier; Department of Migrant Workers Assistant Secretary for Migrant Workers Welfare Services Felicitas Bay and Assistant Secretary for Public Policy and International Cooperation Mario Zinampan; and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration head Arnell Ignacio.
“We can always resolve things through diplomacy but not at the expense of national pride and honor. After all, the safety and welfare of our kababayans are at stake,” De Vega said.
In a House hearing Monday, De Vega and Department of Migrant Workers Undersecretary Hans Cacdac said keeping shelters for runaway and abused Filipino workers in Kuwait is a “non-negotiable” for the Philippines.
“Our shelters have to remain as it is in the law passed by Congress. Let’s make other compromises but not close down the shelter,” De Vega said.
Cacdac said no OFW should be hurt, raped, physically assaulted, or killed at the hands of their employers in Kuwait.
“The repatriation [of OFWs] should also be facilitated promptly, and justice in terms of labor and criminal law should also be delivered more swiftly,” Cacdac said.
Meanwhile, the chair of the House committee on overseas workers affairs, Kabayan party-list Rep. Ron Salo, on Tuesday expressed confidence that the Philippine delegation will diligently pursue the best interests of Filipino workers in Kuwait.
Salo urged the delegation to prioritize the adoption of proactive measures that will safeguard the welfare and rights of OFWs, including ensuring passports are safely kept in the Philippine Embassy or the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) instead of being held by employers.
“OFWs will just be carrying copies of their passports. This measure will provide an added layer of protection for OFWs and prevent unauthorized access to their personal identification documents,” he said.