5,000 workers seen off to Kuwait soon

LABOR Secretary Silvestre Bello III said he expected an initial 5,000 Filipino workers to be immediately deployed to Kuwait following the lifting of the ban on deployment to the Gulf nation.

Some 15,000 others are undergoing processing, Bello said.

The President ordered the lifting of the deployment ban Wednesday night, May 16. Bello said he signed the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) order lifting the ban a day later, or on May 17.

“Pwede na sila umalis basta ba ready na ang papers nila e (They can leave as long as their documents are ready),” said a visibly happy Bello in an interview Thursday.

Bello said DOLE has created a task force to combat illegal recruiters who might take advantage of the workers' eagerness to leave the country following the lifting of the deployment ban.

Bello said his initial recommendation to Duterte was only for a partial lifting of the deployment ban following the signing on May 11 of an agreement to protect overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait.

“The President was impressed with the goodwill gesture shown by the Kuwaiti government,” said Bello.

Under the agreement, OFWs are now entitled to a day off, enough hours for sleep and protection from abuses by their employers, among others.

In return, Filipino workers who want to work in the Gulf nation are required to comply with additional requirements.

Under the agreement, the Philippines is mandated to ensure that the prospective domestic workers "are trained and certified on housework in specialized institutes, and have received orientation on Kuwaiti laws, customs and traditions and the terms and conditions of the employment contract."

Kuwait also demands that the domestic workers who will be employed must be "within allowable age, in possession of appropriate skills certification, and have completed the necessary pre-departure orientation seminars."

The recruited Filipino domestic helpers are also required to observe Kuwaiti laws, morals, ethics and customs while residing in Kuwait.

Roque stressed that the mandatory training for Filipino domestic helpers is necessary to avert potential spats between employers and their employees.

"There are talks that perhaps, there's a need for an enhanced training for domestic workers, to avoid possible rift between Kuwait employers and our workers in Kuwait," he said.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Association of Agencies to Kuwait (Philaak) on Friday, May 18, said Filipino workers are eager to depart for the Gulf state.

“As soon as the ban was lifted, we have been getting a lot of calls from OFWs. Calls rained. They are asking when can they be deployed to Kuwait,” said Philaak president Lucy Sermonia in a telephone interview.

“This agreement gives total protection to our OFWs to Kuwait. This is the first time that our OFWs are getting this kind of protection,” she added.