Duterte bans Filipinos from working in Kuwait

RODRIGO DUTERTE yesterday said the temporary ban on Filipinos going to work in Kuwait is now permanent, intensifying a diplomatic standoff.

The Philippine president, who yesterday described the treatment of Filipinos in Kuwait as a “calamity”, banned workers from heading to the Gulf state in February following the murder of a Filipina maid whose body was found stuffed in a freezer.

The crisis deepened after Kuwaiti authorities last week ordered Manila’s envoy to leave over videos of Philippine embassy staff helping workers flee allegedly abusive employers.

The nations had been negotiating a labour deal that Philippine officials said could result in the lifting of the ban but the recent escalation in tensions has put an agreement in doubt.

“The ban stays permanently. There will be no more recruitment, especially for domestic helpers. No more,” Mr Duterte told reporters.

There was no immediate response from Kuwait, where around 262,000 Filipinos are employed – nearly 60 per cent of them as domestic workers.

Mr Duterte said he would bring home Filipina maids who suffered abuse as he appealed to workers who wanted to stay in the oil-rich state.

“I would like to address to their patriotism: come home. No matter how poor we are, we will survive. The economy is doing good and we are short of our workers,” he said.