Phl Suspends Household Worker Deployment To Kuwait

A few weeks after the brutal killing of Filipina domestic helper Jullebee Ranara, the government has halted the deployment of Filipino household service workers (HSWs) to Kuwait.

Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople said they are deferring the processing and deployment of first-time HSWs in Kuwait until “significant reforms” are put in place.

“The newbies, who have never worked before as (household staff or kasambahay) abroad, or those who have worked abroad as (household staff) but not Kuwait, need to wait first because the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) wants to ensure that there are better monitoring mechanism and faster response system in place before they go there,” Ople said in Filipino and English on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

The DMW chief, who is now in Tokyo, Japan to assist President Marcos in his meeting with Japanese shipowners, said Filipinos aspiring to work abroad as HSWs need not worry since there are several other countries to choose from.

Ople cited Hong Kong as one of the possible alternatives and much nearer to home.

“We also have Singapore, where we have very good relations with our counterpart ministry,” she said.

She expressed optimism that significant changes can still be made in the existing bilateral labor agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait.

“Why not just impose a total deployment ban? Because there are actual OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) who have already worked in Kuwait for several years who still want to go back to their old employers or seek new ones,” Ople said.

The Kuwaiti government, through diplomatic channels, also aired its willingness to engage in bilateral labor talks.

“We are preparing well in advance for these talks, bringing with us an accumulation of abuse done over the years, hence, the need for significant changes,” Ople said.

Abused HSW returns

With bruises and contusions on her face, another Filipina HSW returned home from Kuwait last Tuesday night.

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Arnell Ignacio clarified that Jenelyn Fiel merely suffered an accident and not abuse, contrary to reports circulating on social me-dia.

Ignacio said he fetched Fiel from the airport so that he could personally see her condition and ask what really happened.

Fiel did not ask for anything from the OWWA, but Ignacio gave assurance that the agency and the DMW are always ready to extend whatever assistance she might need.

A video of Fiel seeking help went viral on social media recently, but she told Ignacio that it was her friend who posted the video.

“She was embarrassed for that, that’s why she just made a clarification,” the OWWA chief said, as he noted that he asked Fiel to tell the truth if she suffered abuse at the hands of her Kuwaiti employer.

Ignacio added that he sees no reason for Fiel to lie about what happened because she is now home.

Fiel narrated to Ignacio that she slipped and her forehead hit the floor. Based on the doctor’s assessment, the hematoma under her eyes was because the accident did not cause external bleeding, according to the OWWA chief.

Ignacio advised netizens to stop speculating because Fiel had already admitted that she was not beaten by her employer.

Fiel is an inactive OWWA member, but Ignacio said the agency could still extend assistance when necessary.

Agency ‘remiss’

Meanwhile, senators vented their ire on the owner of Ranara’s recruitment agency who, they said, was remiss in protecting the victim’s welfare that led to her death.

During the hearing of the Senate committee on migrant workers chaired by Sen. Raffy Tulfo, David Castillon, the legal counsel of Catalist International Manpower Services, said the recruitment agency regularly monitors workers they have deployed through their social media accounts.

Castillon said Ranara responded to their messages in September last year. She also responded to the company’s phone call in October, the last direct communication with the victim, and there were no signs that she was being mistreated.

“But (Ranara) died! Don’t lecture me about the law!” Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva scolded Castillon in Filipino.

The lawyer said they are commiserating with the victim’s family, and the company could have done something if it was aware of any problems as she did not inform them that she was being abused.

“You are not monitoring! You should know that she’s being abused… The day before she died, her parents spoke about cruelty from the son, where were you?” Villanueva said.

Castillon and Rachel Mae Rucas, who was teary-eyed, apologized for what happened.

Tulfo pressed for a permanent deployment ban on Kuwait.

“We can enter into bilateral agreements, but our terms should be clear and unequivocal. If there are violators to such agreements, we have to prioritize the welfare of our OFWs and act at the soonest possible time. Make these violators accountable and liable without concession and pursuant to our laws and international conventions,” he said.

“We have almost two million OFWs all over the world and about 100,000 to 120,000 migrant workers still working in Kuwait. Let us not wait until one or more of them would come home wounded, beaten black and blue or a corpse like what happened to Jullebee,” he added.

Migrant Workers Undersecretary Maria Anthonette Velasco-Allones told the committee that deployment of first-time or newly hired HSWs bound for Kuwait has been suspended. Allones said they would be offered alternative jobs in Singapore and Hong Kong. – With Paolo Romero