THE Philippines and Kuwait have agreed to ensure humane treatment for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Gulf nation by signing a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on Friday, May 11.
"On May 11, we expect the signing of the memorandum of agreement," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said in a press briefing held in Kuwiat on the night of Wednesday, May 9.
Roque, along with Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and other Philippine officials, were ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte to fly to the Gulf nation to discuss with Kuwaiti officials the pressing matters concerning the OFWs, as well as the impending signing of the deal protecting them against abusive employers.
The MOA contains the provisions the President had personally enumerated, such as the assurance that OFWs will be allowed seven-hour sleep and a day off, the Palace official said.
Under the MOA, Kuwaiti employers are also mandated to give Filipino workers decent food, allow them to use cellphones, and not confiscate their passports.
"The President's desires (for OFWs) are included in the agreement," Roque said.
Duterte earlier ordered a total ban on deployment of Filipino workers to the Gulf country, amid Kuwaiti employers' reported maltreatment and abuse against OFWs.
The President gave the order after the body of Joanna Demafelis was discovered in a freezer in an abandoned apartment in Kuwait Her employers, a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife, have been convicted of her murder.
The bilateral pact between the two states aims to put an end to the unfair treatment against the Filipino workers in the oil-rich nation.
Apart from reaching an agreement to sign the MOA, Wednesday's meeting between the Philippine and Kuwaiti officials also resulted in the agreement to allow roughly 600 OFWs to return home, except those who are facing pending cases in the host country.
Bello, who joined Roque at the press briefing, said 62 Filipinos have pending cases in Kuwait..
"The Minister of Foreign Affairs vowed that more than a little over 600 (OFWs can come home). Around 62 cannot go back to the country yet because of their pending cases. But those who do not have cases can return home at their expense," the Labor Secretary said.
"We are surprised... It's a bonus and really unexpected," he added.
The Labor chief also raised the possibility that the President might "partially lift" his order to bar Filipinos from seeking jobs in Kuwait.
He, however, noted that it would depend on the outcomes of the signing of the bilateral deal on OFWs' protection.
"It might be a partial lifting to allow the deployment of our skilled workers. That's what I will recommend to the President," Bello said.
"Let's see first what will be the immediate effect of the impending signing of the (MOA).. In a way, the President already gave a go signal but a (MOA) needs to be signed first," he added. (SunStar Philippines)