NEARLY four months since overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were last welcomed in Kuwait, the recruitment industry is asking the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) about its plan on how to resume deployment to the Middle East state.
In a statement, recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani said the industry is already concerned over the apparent lack of action from DMW to resolve the bilateral issues with Kuwait.
"There is nothing being done to talk to Kuwait, and the DMW is also twiddling their thumbs over this matter," said Geslani.
"What is now the plan of the DMA to resolve this row between the two countries in order to restore our relations with Kuwait?" he asked.
He said the continued inaction of the Philippine government runs the risk of permanently losing the Kuwait market.
This, he said, is especially with Ethiopians and Sri Lankans supposedly tapped by employers as replacements for Filipino domestic workers.
"Is the government prepared to lose the Kuwait market over a 'faux pas' of DMW officials?" he asked.
"The Philippine government must move now or forever lose the Kuwait market," added Geslani.
The Kuwaiti government indefinitely suspended the visa issuance to Filipino workers back in early May, thereby preventing OFW deployment there.
Since then, the DMW has repeatedly expressed its readiness to revive labor talks with Kuwait in the hope of resuming OFW deployment there. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)