Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III and other officials of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) met with leaders of the Filipino community in Kuwait at Holiday Inn Kuwait Al Thuraya City on 1 February 2020—to address burning issues such as the murder of Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Jeanelyn Villavende, and the subsequent imposition of the deployment ban on OFWs bound for Kuwait.

During the open forum, Secretary Bello reiterated his earlier stance that the lifting of the deployment ban hinges upon the delivery of justice for OFW Villavende by the Kuwaiti authorities, and the forging of an agreement regarding a standard employment contract for Filipino domestic workers in Kuwait during the Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) on the 2018 Philippines-Kuwait Agreement on the Deployment of Domestic Workers.

In front of Kuwait’s Filipino community leaders, Secretary Bello also renewed the DOLE’s commitment for the protection of OFWs, whom he referred to as “modern-day heroes.” The Secretary revealed that a hospital for OFWs will soon rise in San Fernando City, Pampanga, and will be opened to the public in May 2021. He also shared that the Duterte administration’s ultimate objective is to reunite all OFWs with their families in the Philippines, by ensuring continued economic progress and by creating more jobs at home.

Joining Secretary Bello in the panel are Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. and Consul General Mohd. Noordin Pendosina N. Lomondot, Labor Attaché Nasser S. Mustafa, Labor and Employment Undersecretary Claro A. Arellano, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator Bernard P. Olalia, and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac. The five officials will represent the Philippines during the JCM on the 2018 Philippines-Kuwait Domestic Workers Agreement. (Kuwait PE photos)