PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said he will not hesitate to ban deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait and other Middle East countries if there is another reported rape and abuse case, demanding that Filipinos be treated with dignity.
"We are poor. We may need your help but we will not do it at the expense of the dignity of the Filipino," Duterte said in his speech before departing for India to attend the Asean-India Commemorative Summit, as well as India's Republic Day celebration.
Saying he hopes he is not committing a diplomatic faux pas, he said female OFWs being raped and abused and committing suicide because of these are common fates of Filipino workers, and that he is not in power as President to allow that to continue.
"Can I ask you now just to treat my countrymen as human beings with dignity?" he asked. "I do not want to fight with you. We need your help to improve our country."
He admitted that OFW remittances from Kuwait and other Middle East countries contribute to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Philippines. "Nakakatulong kayo. Pero kung... if it ends up with misery, rape and everything, and my countrymen committing suicide, well, there's always a time (to put an end to this)."
He said, Filipinos in these countries where stories of abuse often happen just come home, confident that the host country will be affected as well.
"Tutal 'pag na --- nag-alis kayo lahat na mga Pilipino diyan, they will also be having a hell of a time adjusting to that," he said.
He urged these countries to improve the situations of OFWs there, as abuses that lead to suicide should never be tolerated.
"And if I cannot do something about it, then there is no reason for me to stay in this position a minute longer," he said.