KABAYAN Partylist Representative and Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs Chairperson Ron Salo addressed the House of Representatives today, calling for the reevaluation and subsequent lifting of the deployment ban to Kuwait.
Expressing grave concerns, Rep. Salo highlighted the adverse economic and diplomatic implications stemming from the prolonged ban, which was imposed in February 2023.
“The prolonged ban, lasting for one year and one month now, has caused severe impact on Filipino migrant workers who are left without a source of income and puts our 45-year formal diplomatic relations with Kuwait in jeopardy,” Salo lamented.
Kuwait’s response to the ban included the suspension of issuing new visas to Filipinos since May 2023, exacerbating the challenges faced by Filipino workers in Kuwait and those aspiring to seek employment there.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) justified the ban, following the 2023 case of Jullebee Ranara, as a protective measure aimed at safeguarding newly hired household workers from potential abuse and maltreatment by Kuwaiti employers.
This marks the third time the Philippine government has imposed a deployment ban on Kuwait in a span of 5 years in response to heinous crimes against Filipino workers. In 2018, following the tragic case of Joanna Demafelis, a ban was enforced, which was subsequently lifted three months later following the signing of a bilateral labor agreement. Similarly, in 2020, another ban was imposed after the case of Jeanelyn Villavende, only to be lifted a month later.
Salo underscored Kuwait’s prompt legal actions in addressing the recent deaths of Filipino migrant workers at the hands of their employers.
“In the cases of OFWs Demafelis, Villavende and Ranara, the perpetrators were brought to justice in 2 months, 1 year and 9 months, respectively. Moreover, the 2018 bilateral agreement provides the processes that the Filipinos and their employees should undertake whenever incidents happen,” Salo notes.
However, he inquired on the necessity of prolonging the ban and urged for clarity on the DMW’s strategy moving forward. Despite President Ferdinand Marcos’s announcement in October 2023 regarding the imminent lifting of the ban, concrete progress from the DMW remains elusive.
“What message does the DMW wish to bring to the Kuwati Government? What message do they wish to convey to our fellow Filipinos – to the 272,000 Filipinos in Kuwait wanting to go home and still continue their employment, and to the countless others who wish to try their luck in Kuwait,“ Salo queried.
Furthermore, Rep. Salo highlighted the misguided perception that Filipinos are indispensable in the global workforce, emphasizing the competence and readiness of workers from other nationalities.
“The bitter truth is a lot of other nationalities are equally competent, prepared and willing to grab the opportunities available to Filipinos. Certainly, much as we would want to believe, we are not irreplaceable,” Salo says.
“The tragic death of an OFW at the hands of her employer’s son is condemnable, and rightly so, the whole nation was outraged. But the quest for justice for her death, which we already secured in nine months, should not imperil our diplomatic relations and the welfare of 272,000 Filipinos working in Kuwait, and should not deny countless of our kababayans the employment opportunities awaiting for them in Kuwait,” Salo added.
Rep. Salo urges to reevaluate the country’s strategy and promptly seek opportunities for dialogue with Kuwait and to adopt more proactive measures to protect our migrant workers.
