OVER 800 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) bound for Kuwait have been stranded in the Philippines on the heels of the suspension of visa issuance by the West Asian state.
In an online media briefing on late Friday, May 19, 2023, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople said that there are already 815 OFWs that have been unable to depart the country after Kuwait refused to issue visa to Filipinos.
"The number of directly affected workers, as of today (Friday), is at 815," said Ople.
"They should have been earning by now had it not been for the visa suspension," she added.
Of the 815, Ople said 514 have been recruited as domestic workers.
Other stranded OFWs were supposed to be deployed as waitresses/waiters, cleaners, hairdressers, sales associates and vendors/mall workers, among others.
The DMW head said there are also 2,849 job orders approved by the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Kuwait for OFWs that are in different stages of processing.
Ople said most of the job orders are in the healthcare industry, mostly nurses, as well as in the hotel and restaurant industry, particularly waiters and waitresses.
Earlier, the Kuwaiti government announced the suspension of the issuance of visas to Filipinos, thereby preventing OFWs from being deployed to Kuwait.
Subsequently, the governments of the Philippines and Kuwait held a two-day bilateral talk regarding numerous issues concerning OFWs.
The meeting, however, ended without a clear decision if the host country would lift its visa issuance suspension against OFWs.
With hundreds of OFWs stranded, DMW Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the government is prepared to offer them different forms of assistance.
These include a one-time financial assistance amounting to P30,000.
"The financial assistance is to help them stem the tide through this ordeal of them being unable to depart. We will provide them with financial assistance in cooperation with their recruitment agencies," said Cacdac.
He said they are also prepared to provide employment assistance by helping them find alternative job opportunities.
"As we speak, they are profiling each and every affected worker in terms of finding out their skill sets as well as their job preferences. Of course, their approval or consent to take on another job opportunity will be taken into consideration," said the official.
He said livelihood assistance will also be offered to the affected OFWs.
"There is National Reintegration Center to offer potential livelihood for those who are willing to undertake livelihood," said Cacdac. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)