FOLLOWING the gruesome death of a Filipina domestic helper in Kuwait, President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday, February 9, implored the Gulf state to stop the abuse and inhumane treatment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
In a press conference in his home province Davao City, the President identified the victim as Joanna Daniela Dimapilis based on a DNA test. Her body was found in a freezer inside an abandoned apartment in Kuwait and was believed to have been stored there for more than a year.
Duterte said he could not stomach the persistent abuses that have pushed some Filipino migrant workers in Kuwait to commit suicide.
He said the "inhumane" treatment of OFWs must stop.
"Let me ask - when will this inhumane treatment of our Filipino workers end? When will the upliftment of the human dignity begin? To the Kuwaiti government and all others who are OFWs work[ers], we seek and expect your assistance in this regard," the President said.
"We do not seek special treatment or privileges for our workers but we do expect respect for their dignity and basic human rights. Keep them free from harm. I implore you. I ask all Arab people - the Filipino is no slave to anyone, anywhere and everywhere," he added.
Duterte's statement came after the body of a Filipino woman believed to have been tortured was discovered in a freezer inside an abandoned apartment in Kuwait.
The discovery of Dimapilis' body came on the heels of Duterte's directive for OFWs in Kuwait to leave and return home.
The Department of Labor and Employment has suspended the deployment of OFWs to Kuwait, following the recent deaths of seven Filipino workers in the Arab country.
To date, more than 250,000 Filipinos are reportedly residing in Kuwait.
Duterte confirmed the ban on deployment and said he was ready to take "drastic steps" to help preserve the OFWs' safety and security in foreign countries.
"Every abuse committed against an OFW is an affront against us as a sovereign nation. Do not give us back a bothered worker or a mutilated corpse," he said.
"We do not intend to offend any government or anyone, but if ban is what is needed, then let it be so. The ban continues today and I don't know until what time. I declared it early this morning. Son of a b****, I cannot stomach this. It is totally, totally unacceptable to me," he added. (SunStar Philippines)