Ban on OFW deployment to Kuwait not permanent — Roque

FILE: Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. issued this statement after President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday, April 29, announced that Kuwait deployment ban “stays permanently.” (PCOO photo)

Malacañang on Monday, April 30, clarified that the ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait would not be permanent.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr. issued this statement after President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday, April 29, announced that the Kuwait deployment ban “stays permanently.”

Despite the President’s words, Roque said the ban could still be lifted if the Kuwaiti government signs the memorandum of understanding (MOU) meant to ensure the protection of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Gulf state.

“On Kuwait, what the President announced is the maintenance of the status quo. Until we have reached or signed a memorandum of agreement providing for the minimum terms and conditions of the employment of our nationals, the deployment ban stays,” Roque said in a Palace press briefing.

“Is this permanent as reported by some media outfit?

Well, let’s just say it stays right now because the precondition set by the President is really the signing of that memorandum of agreement,” he added.

The Palace official further said it is not proper to use the term “permanent” as the ban has a possibility to be removed. If no labor protection agreement is signed, Roque stressed Duterte has already spoken that the government will no longer deploy Filipino workers to Kuwait.

“Walang permanente po. Basta walang MOU, walang (There is no such thing as permanent. If there is no MOU, there will be no) lifting of the deployment ban.

Misleading naman kasi kapag sinabi nating (It is misleading if we say) ‘permanent’,” he explained.

“Common meaning of permanent is nakaukit na iyan sa tadhana (that it is engraved on stone), goodbye. Pero hindi naman po ganoon (But it is not like that). It is conditional to the signing of an MOU,” he added.

Aside from Roque, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello likewise said there is no permanent deployment ban of Filipino workers to Kuwait.

“The President never mentioned that the deployment ban has become permanent. That is not true. He never said that. What the President said is that the Philippines and Kuwait are good friends and are allies and he does not want the presence of our OFWs there to cause an irritant in that relationship,” Bello told CNN Philippines on Sunday.

Bello also made it clear that the President only wants to help OFWs in Kuwait to return in the Philippines.

“So ang sabi niya, ‘yung mga gustong umuwi (he said, for those who want to come home), he is willing to help them. There was never a mention that the deployment ban is being permanent,” he added.

Roque once again emphasized this in his press briefing, saying that Duterte’s call for Filipino workers to return home is not mandatory. Those who want to stay in Kuwait may do so.

“Again, this is voluntary. He is not compelling any one to come home. Ang konteksto lang is kung talagang ayaw ng Kuwait ng mga Pilipino, puwede namang umuwi na iyong mga Pilipino at tutulungan natin sila (The context of this is if the Kuwait does not want Filipinos, they can return home and we will help them),” he noted.

To repatriate Filipino workers in Kuwait, Duterte said that he will be using the roughly P4.8-billion pesos assistance from China to fund the airfare of the OFWs.

In spite of the two government officials’ statements, it was Duterte himself who used the term ‘permanent,’ which was only quoted by media outfits.