THE Bacolod City Council approved a resolution requesting the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) and the Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers to help and assist Marites Reconalla Caballero, a Bacolodnon Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in Kuwait who was allegedly abused by her employer.
The resolution, authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito, stated that Nelsa Caballero, of Barangay Singcang-Airport, asked for help from his office for her daughter, Marites, who is currently in Kuwait.
Nelsa told Distrito that during her last conversation with her daughter, she was informed that her daughter’s passport and other document is with her employer.
Her employer promised that it will be released to her and will buy her a ticket only if she will work for three weeks. Her employer also told her not to go to the agency in Kuwait and asked her to pay $500,000, Nelsa added.
Marites also informed her mother that she could not take it any longer to stay with her employer.
Distrito said Marites' family also reported this issue to the agency in Bacolod and communicated with the employer who denied the allegations.
“For several days, Marites Caballero was not able to communicate with her family and they worried with her situation, thus, the assistance of Owwa is being asked to address such concern,” he said.
He added it is alarming and should be given utmost attention by concerned government agencies given that it was just recently that the Philippines and Kuwait signed an agreement which guarantees legal protection to the employer and the Filipino workers.