Kuwait welcomes back Filipino workers as Philippines implements new protections

• The Philippines has resumed sending workers to Kuwait, implementing new protections.
• The new batch of workers will join around 270,000 OFWs currently living and working in Kuwait.
• The Philippines and Kuwait have agreed to establish a joint committee to address labor issues.

The Philippines has resumed sending workers to Kuwait, implementing new protections to secure their rights and welfare, the Department of Migrant Workers announced. This week, a group of two dozen Filipino domestic workers is preparing to depart for the Gulf state.

Since last year, Manila has been addressing labor concerns related to overseas Filipino workers in Kuwait. The deployment of first-time workers had been suspended following the murder of domestic worker Jullebee Ranara in January 2023.

Bilateral relations faced another setback in May 2023 when Kuwait suspended the issuance of new visas for Philippine nationals. After a series of consultations, the two countries agreed in June 2024 to lift their respective suspensions.

“The resumption of OFW deployment was a result of the agreement between the Philippine government and Kuwait, which provides measures for enhanced OFW protection,” the DMW said in a statement.

“The 35 OFWs are Filipino domestic workers with prior experience working overseas and deployed through Philippine and Kuwait recruitment agencies with good track records. Eleven of them were sent off last Friday, led by Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, while the 24 OFWs are set to depart this week.”

The new batch of workers will join around 270,000 OFWs currently living and working in Kuwait, a top destination for Filipino migrant workers for years.

The Philippines and Kuwait have agreed to establish a joint committee to address labor issues, implement a system for whitelisting recruitment agencies, and appoint welfare desk officers to monitor and assist OFWs.

Arnold Mamaclay, president of the Philippine Employment Agencies and Associates for Corporate Employers in the Middle East, told Arab News that the Philippine Migrant Workers Office in Kuwait is “very strict in verifying documents” to ensure that OFWs are protected and deployed to well-verified companies.

Other measures, such as electronic salary payment, will “address issues like non-payment and delayed wages,” he added.

He added that sending “only those with prior work experience abroad” to Kuwait will reduce their “vulnerability to abuse.”

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