(Eagle News) — Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said he will oppose any recommendation for the partial lifting of the deployment ban on Filipino workers to Kuwait.
He issued the statement after a court in Kuwait sentenced to death by hanging the Lebanese man and his Syrian wife who were responsible for the killing of overseas Filipina worker Joanna Demafelis.
“We’re thankful that justice has been served for Joanna. Our task now is to ensure that such incidents never happen again. We need further high level talks and consultations with our countrymen’s host states in the Middle East to ensure that diplomatic, administrative and legal mechanisms are in place for OFW protection,”
Earlier, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said he may recommend the partial lifting of the deployment ban after the announcement that Demafelis’ employers had been given a death sentence by a Kuwaiti court.
“Our focus should be the protection of OFW rights and welfare, of course, balanced with the respect for local laws and traditions. It’s sometimes a delicate balancing act. That’s why we need constant engagement with the host state,” the Senate president said.
Pimentel also said that he opposed the recommendation because there were over 200 cases of death and abuse of Filipino workers that the Kuwaiti government had not yet solved.
