Connect with us

News

Solon: OFWs from Kuwait can be redeployed to other countries

Published

on

“Outside of Kuwait, we have far bigger labor markets in other parts of the Middle East and elsewhere that offer better protection for our workers,” Pimentel said. (PNA photo)

“Outside of Kuwait, we have far bigger labor markets in other parts of the Middle East and elsewhere that offer better protection for our workers,” Pimentel said. (PNA photo)

MANILA – A legislator on Monday said overseas Filipino workers in Kuwait who decide to heed President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s call for them to return home can be redeployed to other countries.

In a statement, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel said foreign labor markets for Filipinos in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates are thrice as large than Kuwait’s, while other alternatives include Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

“Outside of Kuwait, we have far bigger labor markets in other parts of the Middle East and elsewhere that offer better protection for our workers,” Pimentel said.

“In any labor market, what is important is that the jobseekers must have the skills that they can sell to employers,” he added.

Pimentel said the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Department of Labor and Employment should provide “new and improved competencies” for returning domestic workers from Kuwait.

An estimated 260,000 OFWs are working in Kuwait, including 700 Filipinos now facing various charges and have sought refuge in the embassy shelter.

Of the total number of Filipinos there, about 150,000 are household service workers.

President Duterte has made permanent the ban on the OFW deployment to Kuwait amid the diplomatic spat between the Philippines and the Gulf state.

“No. The ban stays permanently. There will be no more recruitment for — especially domestic helpers.

online pharmacy buy lipitor with best prices today in the USA

Wala na (No more),” the President said in a press briefing at Davao International Airport upon his arrival on Sunday from Singapore, where he attended the 32nd ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting.

Duterte vowed to get back all those who want to come home using available funds or the funds given by China. If money is not enough, Duterte said he would use emergency funds. “To me this is a calamity,” he told reporters.

“Please come home. Kahit mahirap tayo, mabubuhay pa rin tayo (Even if we are poor, we will still survive),” he said.

online pharmacy buy hydroxychloroquine with best prices today in the USA

He assured there are available jobs here with the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program.

ACTS-OFW Ancieto Bertiz III backed President Duterte’s appeal for Filipinos in Kuwait to come home, noting that the problem concerns mainly domestic workers who are not covered by Kuwait’s labor laws.

“In the case of professionals in Kuwait, there’s really no problem because they are protected by their skills. Employers avoid mistreating highly skilled staff because they are difficult to replace,” Bertiz said.

“But in the case of domestic workers, we really have to discourage their deployment to countries where they have little or no legal protection,” he added.

Bertiz said without adequate legal protection, domestic workers are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation since they live with their employers and their skills are easily replaceable.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Maria in Vancouver

Lifestyle1 week ago

Nobody Wants This…IRL (In Real Life)

Just like everyone else who’s binged on Netflix series, “Nobody Wants This” — a romcom about a newly single rabbi...

Lifestyle2 weeks ago

Family Estrangement: Why It’s Okay

Family estrangement is the absence of a previously long-standing relationship between family members via emotional or physical distancing to the...

Lifestyle2 months ago

Becoming Your Best Version

By Matter Laurel-Zalko As a woman, I’m constantly evolving. I’m constantly changing towards my better version each year. Actually, I’m...

Lifestyle2 months ago

The True Power of Manifestation

I truly believe in the power of our imagination and that what we believe in our lives is an actual...

Maria in Vancouver3 months ago

DECORATE YOUR HOME 101

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Our home interiors are an insight into our brains and our hearts. It is our own collaboration...

Maria in Vancouver4 months ago

Guide to Planning a Wedding in 2 Months

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Are you recently engaged and find yourself in a bit of a pickle because you and your...

Maria in Vancouver4 months ago

Staying Cool and Stylish this Summer

By Matte Laurel-Zalko I couldn’t agree more when the great late Ella Fitzgerald sang “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.”...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

Ageing Gratefully and Joyfully

My 56th trip around the sun is just around the corner! Whew. Wow. Admittedly, I used to be afraid of...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

My Love Affair With Pearls

On March 18, 2023, my article, The Power of Pearls was published. In that article, I wrote about the history...

Maria in Vancouver6 months ago

7 Creative Ways to Propose!

Sometime in April 2022, my significant other gave me a heads up: he will be proposing to me on May...