Senators want Phl-Kuwait ties to normalize

Senators pushed yesterday for the normalization of relations between the Philippines and Kuwait, but stressed that this should not jeopardize the pursuit of justice for the death of Joanna Demafelis as well as the protection of Filipino workers in the Gulf state.

The senators welcomed the death sentence imposed in absentia on a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife for killing the 29-year-old Demafelis, whose body was found in a freezer in her employers’ abandoned apartment in Kuwait last February.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the penalty was an encouraging sign that Kuwait is ready to take the protection of Filipino workers seriously.

“This, along with the signing of the bilateral OFW (overseas Filipino workers) protection agreement currently in the works, will go a long way toward rebuilding the strong labor ties between our countries,” Gatchalian said.

“I am hopeful that the Philippine and Kuwaiti governments will continue to work together in good faith to implement long-lasting reforms that will uphold and defend the fundamental rights of OFWs in Kuwait and the rest of the Middle East,” he added.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III noted that the deaths of more than 100 Filipino workers were reported in Kuwait alone and that these cases “should be explained too and justice rendered.”

“We have so much more to do in directly engaging the Gulf states as far as protecting the safety and welfare of our OFWs is concerned. 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,” Pimentel stressed.

He added that the decision of the Kuwaiti court should normalize ties between the Philippines and Kuwait as the two countries continue their longstanding diplomatic and economic relationship.

“Urgent now is the mending of ties. We see Kuwait as a partner. We benefit mutually from sending our OFWs to Kuwait, and it’s in the best interest of both countries to continue resolving matters relating to reported work abuses, repatriation, lack of documentation and other key issues affecting Filipino workers there,” he pointed out.

It is estimated that 252,000 Filipinos work in Kuwait. The Philippine embassy has reported that 4,000 OFWs without the necessary paperwork have been repatriated and another 6,000 are waiting for amnesty by the Kuwaiti government.

Pimentel said the government must “look at the bigger picture again” even as it continues to work for the protection of OFW rights and welfare, balanced with the respect for local laws and traditions.

Sen. Grace Poe expressed hope the memorandum of understanding between the Philippines and Kuwait for the greater protection of OFWs will be signed.

Paper victory

Sen. Joel Villanueva said the sentence, while welcomed, should not just be a “paper victory” where the suspects will be given a chance to evade punishment.

“The husband and wife are not under Kuwait custody. They should be made to face the consequence of what they have done in Kuwait before we can even think of any talk with the family of Demafelis for forgiveness,” Villanueva said.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the conviction in absentia of the couple “may appear like a Pyrrhic victory for Joanna’s family and the Filipino people until the execution of the sentence is finally carried out.”

Meanwhile, Bataan Bishop Ruperto Santos said he is in favor of the partial lifting of the ban to deploy OFWs to Kuwait after its court found Lebanese Nader Essam Assaf and his Syrian wife Mona Hassoun guilty for Demafelis’ death and sentenced them to death by hanging.

Santos, chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), believes that since the family of Demafelis received justice, the government could loosen the restriction it earlier imposed.

He also believes that the speedy justice the Kuwaiti court gave has shown the sincerity of the Kuwaiti government.

“It is most welcoming and encouraging news. We see here the seriousness and sincerity of Kuwait to give justice to Joanna, and protection to wellbeing of our OFWs there,” he added.

“With their collaboration to promote rights and dignity and with the forthcoming signing of memorandum of understanding, we at CBCP ECMI will support the partial lifting of deployment ban of our OFWs there,” Santos said.

Saved from death

In Jeddah, a female OFW was saved from the death penalty although fined 100,000 Saudi riyal, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

Citing a report of the Philippine consulate general in Jeddah, the DFA said the OFW was arrested by Saudi authorities on Oct. 9, 2013 after illegal drugs were found in the luggage she was carrying for a representative of her deployment agency in the Philippines.