Duterte will travel to Kuwait for signing labor pact to protect Filipino workers
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MANILA, April 12, (Agencies): Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday he will travel to Kuwait for the signing of the agreement that will guarantee protection to overseas Filipino workers (OFW), reports philstar.com.
He was particularly referring to the security of the Filipino domestic helpers in the Gulf state. Duterte said the government of Kuwait has agreed to his demands, which were meant to protect and improve the working conditions of migrant Filipino OFWs.
The demands came after Duterte banned the deployment of new Filipino workers to Kuwait following the death of domestic helper Joanna Demafelis allegedly at the hands of her employers, whose body was found in a freezer one year after her employers had allegedly killed her and left the country.
The President then listed conditions for the Kuwaiti government with regard to the treatment of Filipino domestic helpers for the lifting of the deployment ban. Majority of Filipinos in Hong Kong are domestic helpers.
Among the demands of the President are for Kuwaiti employers to allow Filipino domestic helpers to have enough resting hours, enjoy holidays and rest days, possess cell phones, and keep their passports with them.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III earlier said a memorandum of understanding between Kuwait and the Philippines that would guarantee better treatment for Filipinos working in the Arab state may be signed within a month or before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The Philippine president said Thursday that Kuwait had agreed to his demands to improve the working conditions for Filipinos, following negotiations between the two countries on an accord. “To give honour also to the Kuwaiti government, I will go there for the signing (ceremony) just to witness it,” Duterte said in a speech during a visit to Hong Kong. He did not say when he will travel to Kuwait.
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