Signing of MOA with Kuwait

We hail the adoption of a new memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Philippines and Kuwait that offers far greater protection to Filipino domestic workers than a previous draft. The signed MOA is vastly superior to the draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) that we earlier rejected.

Our sense is, the Kuwaiti government signed the better deal on account of President Duterte’s tough and uncompromising stance in safeguarding the rights and welfare of our domestic workers.

In the MOA, the Kuwaiti government agreed to take legal measures against erring employers and to provide legal assistance to domestic workers concerning labor contract violations by employers.

The Kuwaiti government also agreed to provide a mechanism of inspection and monitoring of the level of care offered to domestic workers through official authorities in Kuwait.

The Kuwaiti government likewise agreed to establish a mechanism, which shall provide 24-hour assistance to domestic workers and to ensure that aggrieved workers shall have access to the services of the emirate’s Department of Domestic Labor.

The Kuwaiti government also conceded that the passports of Filipinos are Philippine government property, and agreed to forbid employers from seizing the passports of their workers.

It is now up to the President if he would partially lift the total ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait. --ACTS-OFW Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III

Ease provision on foreign ownership

We ask the consultative committee tasked by President Duterte to draft possible changes to the 1987 Constitution to consider relaxing the restrictions to foreign ownership of Philippine mass media, educational institutions and telecommunications.

We have to allow greater foreign participation in certain economic sectors if we are to quickly attract fresh investments, create new jobs and improve services in the years ahead.

The constitutional provision forbidding any foreign equity in Philippine mass media has become totally irrelevant amid rapid technological advances. In fact, the prohibition has been rendered meaningless by Internet streaming as well as global broadcasting via cable and satellite TV.

Meanwhile, we disallow majority foreign ownership of Philippine educational institutions, yet we send our brightest children to study overseas. We might as well allow the best institutions of higher learning abroad to set up wholly owned subsidiaries here.

Also, the provision restricting Philippine telecommunications to entities at least 60 percent held by Filipinos is counter-productive. Owing to the foreign equity limit, we now have slowest average Internet connection speed in all of Asia, and Filipinos have for years been forced to live with the substandard broadband services of two dominant suppliers.

The 25-member consultative committee is now reviewing the Constitution. The panel is expected to submit its recommendations to the President, who intends to transmit the proposals to Congress.--Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza