3KLlLppLnes e[pands Ean Ior Zorkers Ln .uZaLt
3H,/,33,1ES - The 3hilippines on 0onday, Feb 2, e[panded a ban on its citizens working in .uwait after 3resident Rodrigo 'uterte angrily lashed out at the *ulf state over reports of Filipino workers suffering abuse and e[ploitation. Authorities say 2 2,000 Filipinos work in .uwait, many as maids. They are among over two million employed in the region, whose remittances are a lifeline to the 3hilippine economy. But /abour Secretary Silvestre Bello on 0onday announced a “total ban´ on new employment in the country, including Filipinos who had already obtained employment permits but had not yet left for the wealthy oil-producing country. Authorities have not ruled out revoking the permits of Filipinos currently working in .uwait or of previous hires returning on new contracts. “:ith the advent of the series of reports involving abuses and deaths of overseas Filipino workers in .uwait, a total ban on deployment of all overseas workers ... is hereby enforced,´ Bello said, reading an order. “This order takes effect immediately.´ The move would affect thousands of workers, labour spokesman Abegail de Vega said. The fresh move came after 'uterte last month barred Filipinos from seeking work in .uwait, although the ban e[empted those who had already secured permission. /ast Friday 'uterte hit out at .uwait as he brandished photos reportedly of a Filipina maid found in a freezer, saying she had been “roasted like a pig´. 'uterte has been vocal on the issue of abuse of Filipinos in the 0iddle East, even threatening a ban on citizens working anywhere in the region. He also alleged Arab employers routinely raped their Filipina workers, forced them to work 2 hours each day and fed them scraps. “,s there something wrong with your culture" ,s there something wrong with your values"´ he had said, addressing .uwait. .uwait’s embassy in 0anila declined to comment. Accounts of Filipinos being subjected to abuse, overwork, rape or dying in suspicious circumstances in the region have long circulated. The 3hilippine foreign affairs department said on 0onday authorities were repatriating 0,000 overstaying Filipinos from .uwait, taking advantage of an amnesty programme arranged with the .uwaiti government.
(AFP)