By Genalyn D. Kabiling
The government is still interested in forging a binding labor protection pact with Kuwait amid efforts to “normalize” their relations following a diplomatic conflict.
However, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made clear that the ban on Overseas Filipino Workers’ deployment to Kuwait would stay until the proposed agreement on their protection will be sealed.
“On Kuwait, what the President announced is the maintenance of the status quo. Until we have reached or signed a memorandum of agreement providing for the minimum terms and conditions of the employment of our nationals, the deployment, the ban stays,” Roque said during a Palace press briefing.
“Is this permanent as reported as reported by some media outfit? Well, let’s just say it stays right now because the precondition set by the President is really the signing of that memorandum of agreement,” he added.
But if no labor protection agreement is signed, Roque said the President has already spoken that the government will no longer send new workers to Kuwait.
Asked if the government was trying to salvage the draft labor pact with Kuwait amid diplomatic conflict, Roque said: “Let’s just say, we’re trying to normalize as much as we could ties with Kuwait.”
He noted that Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and other Cabinet members are expected to visit Kuwait on May 7 “which means that the process of diplomatic negotiations and conversation continues as we speak.”
