Philippines demands Kuwait explanation for envoy’s expulsion
The Philippines demanded an explanation on Thursday after its ambassador to Kuwait was expelled from the country.
Kuwait announced on Wednesday that Renato Villa had one week to leave after videos emerged of embassy staff helping two of its nationals flee from what they said were abusive employers, which Kuwait called a breach of its sovereignty.
“President Rodrigo Duterte and everyone else was shocked at this development because the president’s meeting with the Kuwaiti ambassador went well,” said Harry Roque, the presidential spokesman.
A statement from the Philippine Foreign Ministry said the expulsion was “deeply disturbing” and that it would ask for an explanation.
The two states had been working to resolve differences sparked by the murder of a maid from the Philippines, whose body was found stuffed in her employer’s freezer in Kuwait this year.
The leaked videos show a man rushing a woman into a black vehicle carrying diplomatic licence plates, and a person running from what looked like a building site and speeding off in a car.
The Philippines had issued an apology to Kuwait.
Khalid Al Jarallah, the Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister, said on Tuesday that the embassy had failed to work with the local authorities.
Tensions rose this year after the murder of Joanna Demafelis, the maid found in the freezer, prompting Mr Duterte to ban Filipinos from heading to Kuwait for work.
Relations appeared to recover after a Kuwaiti court sentenced to death a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife for the murder of Demafelis. They were sentenced in their absence.
After the verdict, Mr Duterte announced plans to visit Kuwait this month to seal an agreement on workplace safety guarantees for the 252,000 Filipinos already working there.
The proposed deal would have set terms for holidays, food and custody of passports, Mr Roque said.
He said the visit was now in doubt.
About 10 million Filipinos work abroad and the money they remit is a lifeline for the Philippine economy.