Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Concerns Secretary Abdullah D. Mama-o meets with more than one hundred members of the Filipino community in Kuwait at the Philippine Embassy on 18 January 2020, to discuss issues such as the Philippine government’s contingency plan amid tensions in the Middle East, and the decision of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Governing Board to impose a ban on the deployment of newly-hired OFWs bound for Kuwait.

Secretary Mama-o—who was accompanied by Atty. Edwin D. Bael of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on OFW Concerns, and Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. and Consul General Mohd. Noordin Pendosina N. Lomondot—gave the assurances of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte that the Philippine government will exert all efforts to safeguard the safety and welfare of all Filipinos in the Middle East.

During the Filipino community meeting, Chargé d’Affaires Lomondot also assured Filipinos in Kuwait that the Embassy is preparing for any scenario in case the situation in the region does not improve. He disclosed to Filipino community leaders details of the Embassy’s Contingency Plan, such as possible evacuation routes and the names of area coordinators.

After meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran last week, Secretary Mama-o is in Kuwait to meet with top Kuwaiti government officials, where it is expected that the current situation in the region and OFW concerns will top his agenda. (Kuwait PE photos)