Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano has been given marching orders to meet with the Kuwait ambassador to seek the Kuwaiti government’s cooperation in assuring the security of overseas Filipino workers in the Gulf country.
“I was… tasked to inform the nation that the marching order [to] Secretary Cayetano is to ensure that Filipinos are protected in Kuwait. And Secretary Alan Cayetano was tasked to get a commitment from Kuwait on how it will protect Filipino nationals in Kuwait,” Roque said.
The Palace spokesperson also said that President Rodrigo Duterte was also standing by his statement against the abuses endured by overseas Filipino workers from their foreign employers in Kuwait.
“Hindi po pupwedeng tanggalin sa ating Presidente ang panawagan na dapat protektahan ang katauhan, ang karapatang mabuhay ng mga Pilipino sa iba’t ibang [parte ng] daigdig… Katungkulan po ng Presidente na bigyan ng proteksyon ang mga mamamayang Pilipino kahit man nasaan sila,” Roque said.
The Secretary then reminded the Kuwaiti government of its obligation to extend the same protection that it provides its citizens to foreign nationals in their nation, including OFWs.
He said Filipino workers residing in Kuwait have the right to benefit from the same laws that protect Kuwaiti nationals, including the right to receive redress for any injury sustained from abuse.
“I would like to remind Kuwait authorities of the standards by which aliens should be treated in their territory… Under international law, each country is bound to give to the nationals of another country in its territory the benefit of the same laws, the same administration, the same protection, and the same redress for injury which it gives its own citizens, neither more nor less,” Roque said.
The Palace Spokesperson expressed hope that the country’s long-term relations with Kuwait would remain unaffected by the issue, but stressed that the President’s primary concern now is the well-being of Filipino migrant workers.
He said that in line with this, the President has appointed Iglesia Ni Cristo Executive Minister Brother Eduardo V. Manalo so that the concerns of overseas Filipinos will be further addressed and promoted.
Roque said that the Philippine government would want to “tap the network” of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) or Church of Christ which has around 6,000 congregations worldwide in addressing the concerns of Filipinos across the globe.
This he said was the reason why President Rodrigo Duterte appointed INC Executive Minister Brother Eduardo V. Manalo as special envoy for overseas Filipinos’ concerns.
(Eagle News Service with PND)
