Philippine delegation arrives in Kuwait for further discussions – ‘We are here to be with our Kabayans’

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KUWAIT CITY, March 29: Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola and her delegation arrived in Kuwait on Thursday to meet with the Filipinos in Kuwait and Kuwait officials. Accompanying her are some members of the Office of Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) Rapid Response Team that will assist the Philippine Embassy in the repatriation of undocumented Overseas Filipino Workers in Kuwait who availed the amnesty given by the Kuwait government.

“We are here to be with our Kababayans (compatriots) to see how they are doing and to ensure that the repatriation efforts are conducted compassionately and courageously,” stated Arriola upon her arrival the VIP Lounge at the Kuwait International Airport. Arriola and her team were welcomed by Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Pedro Villa, Consul General Noordin Pendosina Lomondot, Consul Jabbar Adiong, Vice Consul Charleson Hermosura, POLO OIC Nestor Burayag and other embassy and Philippine Overseas Labour Office (POLO) officials and staff.

Arriola’s visit is part of the ongoing efforts of the Philippines and Kuwait to further discuss issues on the welfare and protection of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) amid the deployment ban on newly hired Filipino workers bound for Kuwait. Arriola is also set to meet with some officials at the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss matters of mutual concern that were tackled recently during the joint bilateral talks between Kuwait and the Philippines that was held in Manila.

She will also meet with the Filipino community on Friday to check on their current situation in the country as well as the over 1,000 distressed OFWs at the POLO-OWWA Shelter to get their input on the issue on the deployment ban and other matters.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Villa disclosed that there would be a second round of joint bilateral talks by next month or before the Holy Month of Ramadan to finalize the provisions in the Memorandum of Agreement on the Protection and Deployment of Filipino Workers to Kuwait as the two countries move forward for its signing, On the other hand, the POLO has shifted around 300 distressed OFWs from the POLO-OWWA shelter in Al Siddique area to a new shelter in Surra area to decongest the current shelter.

Burayag told the Arab Times that the repatriation of wards at the shelter continues with the help of the Office of Domestic Workers Affairs (ODWA) amid the influx of distressed OFWs in the shelter.

The wards at the shelter were mostly victims of various forms of physical, verbal or sexual abuse, unpaid salaries and lack of food or overwork. “An average of 20 to 30 distressed household service workers run to the shelter everyday. As the repatriation continues, a big number also run to the shelter daily but we are hoping to fast-track the repatriation with the help of ODWA,” stated Burayag.

On the other hand, Philippine Embassy Assistance to Nationals Unit Head Consul General Noordin Pendosina Lomondot has once again appealed to all undocumented OFWs to file their amnesty application at the embassy on or before April 12, 2018 to give the embassy ample time to process their travel documents and exit clearance before the deadline on April 22, 2018.

To date, over 4,000 undocumented OFWs have been repatriated under the Kuwait Amnesty Program. There are around 10,000 undocumented Filipino workers in Kuwait based on the records of the Ministry of Interior and the embassy is targeting to repatriate at least 7,000 undocumented OFWs. Currently, there are around 250,000 documented OFWs and 165,000 of them are working as household service workers.

By Michelle Fe Santiago Arab Times Staff

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