Kuwait Deployment Ban Ruled Out Despite Pinay’s Murder

Despite the brutal death of another Filipina worker in Kuwait, the government ruled out the possibility of reimposing a deployment ban in the Middle Eastern country.

Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople said a deployment ban is not necessary, considering that Kuwaiti authorities are closely cooperating in the ongoing investigation into the death of Filipina domestic helper Jullebee Ranara.

“We don’t see the need for a deployment ban because the Kuwaiti government is cooperating with our embassy, and it’s even less than 24 hours that the suspect has been in police custody,” Ople said in a Filipino in a radio interview on Tuesday, Jan. 24.

Based on initial information reaching the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the 17-year-old son of Ranara’s employer was identified as the primary suspect in the killing.

The young suspect was arrested and is now in Kuwaiti jail.

Ople said Ranara told her mother that the young man treated her harshly and one time threatened to kill the 35-year-old Filipina worker.

Ranara was able to talk last Friday, Jan. 19, to her relatives for the last time. They were no longer able to contact her since then until her burned remains were found two days later.

She previously worked as a household service worker in Bahrain, then opted to work in Kuwait in July last year and had been sending money to her parents.

Ople said the Philippine government has hired a lawyer, who is now closely working with Kuwaiti prosecutors.

“We see the cooperation, and the Kuwaiti government is acting on the case, especially in the police investigation, and the case is now on the way to prosecution,” she added.

Kuwaiti police have yet to determine the motive behind the killing, according to the DMW chief, as the agency is still awaiting the official report.

Ople said the Philippine government is now trying to find out what law will be applied since the primary suspect is a minor.

Since Ranara is an active Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) member before her death, her bereaved family will receive death and burial benefits.

Her four children are also entitled to OWWA scholarships.

Ranara’s family will also get the full amount of mandatory insurance.

Ople said the remains of Ranara are expected to be brought home soon.

In 2018, the Philippine government stopped the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait after the body of domestic helper Joanna Demafelis was found stuffed inside a freezer in an abandoned apartment.

The ban was eventually lifted after the Philippine and Kuwaiti governments forged an agreement that provides protection for Filipino workers.

Instead of reimposing a deployment ban, Ople said the DMW would push for reforms in hiring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for deployment to Kuwait.

She disclosed that a bilateral labor agreement with Kuwait is now up for negotiation and that the Philippines intends to negotiate a pact similar to the one recently forged with Saudi Arabia.

“We plan to follow the formula we had with Saudi Arabia in the contract we will be entering into, in the labor agreement, which will have more guarantees for the security of our workers,” Ople said.

Protection, safety of OFWs

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva urged the government on Tuesday to ensure the protection and safety of OFWs before sending them to foreign countries following the killing of Ranara.

“Unless we are sure that we can protect our OFWs, they should not be allowed to go there,” Villanueva told Senate reporters. 

The senator said bilateral relations should also be strengthened to ensure that OFWs are protected, their passports are with them and their basic rights are preserved.

Villanueva, however, said he would not comment on the possibility of reimposing the deployment ban of OFWs in Kuwait and would just wait for the official report from the DWM.

“For me, we will wait for the report of DMW. We will look into it to provide us with information,” he said.

“Let’s convey a strong message that if you can’t protect our countrymen, who are in demand all over the world, we won’t send them there,” he added.

The Senate leader noted the importance of monitoring the situation of OFWs, especially in hotspot areas.

At present, about 30 percent of OFWs are women.

“Again, it is important to note that we need to create jobs domestically, that there is no need to leave our country to find a job. If there is an opportunity here, they will not leave,” Villanueva said.

He, however, lamented that there is no transition period yet and the Department of Foreign Affairs needs legal assistance funds for documented and undocumented OFWs.

“It’s sad that we always seem to be passive; we have to be proactive. It’s sad that every time someone dies, (we will just react). This is not the first time; we can be better,” Villanueva said.

Senators condemned the brutal killing of Ranara. 

In his privilege speech, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said the absence of a mechanism to monitor the conditions of OFWs resulted in the abuses and killings similar to the Ranara’s case.

Estrada, who chairs the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development, expressed dismay that an OFW was killed in the first month of the year.

“What appears to be lacking, though, is a mechanism for monitoring the conditions of our OFWs and the screening of would-be employers to further assure our kababayans that they will not end up in the hands of exploitative and vicious individuals,” he said.

“It is time for us to focus on the study of the call for the abolition of the Kafala system as was done in Bahrain and in Qatar. It is said that in Bahrain, the government and not individual employers sponsor OFWs,” he added. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe