By Leslie Ann G. Aquino
The Department of Labor and Employment formally issued yesterday an order totally banning the deployment of all overseas Filipinos workers to Kuwait amid the series of reports involving abuse and death of OFWs in the Gulf state.
Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the order takes effect immediately.
“In pursuit of national interest, and with the advent of the series of reports involving abuse and death of OFWs in Kuwait, a total ban on deployment of all OFWs to Kuwait pursuant to the directive of the President of the Philippines is hereby enforced,” Bello said in the order.
President Duterte had ordered a total ban on the deployment of OFWs to Kuwait following reports of brutal deaths endured by some Filipinos there.
Bello said ordinarily, an order to ban deployment should be approved by the Governing Board of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. However, he said, due to the directive of the President, that action by the board can be dispensed, subject to ratification later.
He said the ban will cover all OFWs but they are still studying the case of returning workers or “balik-mangagagawa.”
“With respect to mga balik-manggagawa pinag-aaralan pa namin dahil alam mo kung minsan…may mga pekeng balik-manggagawa. ‘Yun ang pinag- aaralan muna kung paano maiiwasan. Pero basically we would like them to go back, kaya lang sisiguraduhin namin na yung pababalikin namin hindi ito yung mga pekeng balik-manggagawa,” said Bello.
Bello said the government will assist OFWs repatriated from Kuwait. “Meron kami national reintegration program. Ito yung hinahanapan sila trabaho o kaya bibigyan livelihood,” Bello said.
He said there are also alternative employment destinations for them such as China and Russia.
