(Eagle News)– The Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday said it had asked Kuwait for an extension of its amnesty program for Filipino workers illegally staying there.
Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said it had asked Kuwaiti Ambassador to the Philippines Saleh Ahmad Althwaikh for a three-month extension in a “candid, frank discussion” on Thursday.
He said there were still 10,000 overstaying Filipinos in the Middle Eastern country who had to be brought back home.
Cayetano said the ambassador promised to “work hard” so the Kuwaiti government would grant their request.
The Department of Labor and Employment has declared a total ban on the deployment of Overseas Filipino Workers.
This was in line with the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte, who vented his ire against the Kuwaiti government following reported abuses of OFWs there.
A Filipina was recently discovered in a freezer in an abandoned apartment in the oil-rich country.