Ph Demands Strict Protection From Kuwait For Its Citizens

Kuwait has been asked by the government of the Philippines to adopt adequate safeguards to protect Filipino workers, especially household workers.

Kuwait has taken legal measures against the murderer of a Filipino domestic worker, Jollibee Ranara, as reported in Philippine newspapers and websites, and the accused has been referred to court. However, Al-Qabas daily reports that Filipino nationals need more guarantees and controls to be protected.

Marisa Magcino of the Overseas Filipino Workers Party has called for a review of the 25 bilateral labor agreements the Philippines signed with Kuwait, Gulf states, and other nations.

Most labor agreements lack explicit provisions related to social security, equal treatment, repatriation, and most importantly, protocols governing investigations and prosecutions of criminal offenses committed against Filipinos.

In addition, she stressed that the Philippines does not have labor agreements with leading countries in labor protection, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Brunei, and Oman. According to her, the state is responsible for ensuring that its workers are protected while abroad by signing agreements with host countries under the Immigrants and Overseas Filipinos Labor Law.

It was reported in the newspaper that senators called for either imposing a ban on sending workers to Kuwait or reviewing the labor agreement concluded with Kuwait after the death of Jollibee Ranara, the last Filipino worker killed while working in Kuwait.

Previously, the Philippines had banned sending its workers to Kuwait after the bodies of Joanna Demafelis and Jeanlyn Villavinda were found in her employer's refrigerator in 2018 and 2019, but the ban was lifted after negotiations.

The newspaper quoted a previous statement by Minister of Migrant Workers Affairs Susan Ople, in which she shunned the possibility of a proliferation ban, saying the Philippines would instead continue to talk to Kuwait in order to ensure the protection of Filipino workers deployed there. Opel said the discussions that will take place will be similar to the recent negotiations with Saudi Arabia.

Senator Raffy Tulfo, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Filipino Migrant Workers Abroad, called on the Philippine government once again to take a tough stance in order to protect workers.

Tulfo told Politico that he had asked the Foreign Workers Welfare Department to assist Mila Balbagh after she ran away from her employer's home recently, allegedly suffering serious injuries.

According to the newspaper, the talks are continuing to prevent the recurrence of crimes and abuses against domestic workers, with a new mechanism for monitoring workers' conditions included in the demands.

The Philippines' government is considering the following four demands

- Strict measures to prevent abuses against workers

- Reviewing labor agreements to guarantee rights

- Increase penalties against violating sponsors

- A new mechanism for monitoring the conditions of domestic workers

 

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