Discussion on Kuwait deployment ban ‘ongoing’

OFWs caught in the Labor department’s suspension are hopeful the government will conclude sooner their dialogue (Photo: Philippine News Agency)

MANILA — The discussion between Kuwait and Philippine officials on the suspension of Filipino deployment to Kuwait is ongoing, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday.

Last week, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) enforced the ban after President Rodrigo Duterte directed them to stop the processing of OFW employment in the Gulf State over reported abuses and recent deaths of migrant workers.

Following the order, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration halted processing overseas employment certificates (OEC) of Kuwait-bound workers.

According to the DFA-Office of Public Diplomacy, information cannot be disclosed yet on how the discussions are progressing.

Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) caught in the Labor department’s suspension are hopeful the government will conclude sooner their dialogue with Kuwaiti counterparts.

Anelsie Grazelle Vidiosas, 29 years old, said except for the OEC, she already secured all necessary documents for her employment in Kuwait. “Matagal ko nang hinihintay. For stamping na ang OEC namin. Kailangan namin para sa pamilya namin dahil ‘pag nandito lang kami sa Pilipinas, may mga kapatid ako na pinapaaral lahat (I’ve been waiting long enough for the OEC. We need this for our family especially because I have siblings who are still studying),” she said in an interview Thursday.

For Criselda Supena, a 32-year old first-time OFW bound to the same state as Vidiosas said she was banking on the testimonies of her friends still in Kuwait who didn’t see the country a bad place for employment.

When asked how she’s seeing Kuwait with all the reported abuses, Supena explained it’s a risk she took the moment she decided to become an OFW.

“Hindi naman po, kasi naman tayo, oras na pinili mag-abroad lakas lang ng loob makikipagsapalaran kung ok o hindi,” she said. “Kung hindi ok, meron naman sa agency na malalapitan.”

With all the processes she had gone through and the papers she submitted for compliance, Supena said the thought of changing country to work in is not in her mind.

“Sana matapos nalang (ang) suspension kasi mahirap ang pag-aapply matapos lang papers, gutom… Ngayon may kontrata na, may visa na, wala lang OEC, tapos biglang nagsuspend, nabinbin petition (We hope the suspension would be lifted soon because it is hard to apply),” she said. “Sana, yung mga nangyari sa Kuwait maresolba na para ‘di kami mabinbin.”