Cayetano: 'We did not take the law into our own hands'

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday said the rescue of Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait were conducted under lawful circumstances and done in coordination with authorities.

"We did not go into the houses, we did not take the law into our own hands," Cayetano said in a speech at a press conference in Singapore.

"Pag sinabing ire-rescue and, again, in coordination with the police, this involves verbal, physical or sexual abuse," he added.

There was a pending urgency in the implementation of rescue operations of OFWs.

"When we already have pictures na gulping-gulpi na. When we already have the actual threat. We cannot take too much time in negotiating, 'di ba? We have to take action because we're talking about a human life here," Cayetano explained.

According to JP Soriano's report on State of the Nation with Jessica Soho, Cayetano issued the statement after the Kuwaiti government expelled Philippine Ambassador Renato Pedro Villa and declared him persona non grata.

Kuwait also recalled its envoy in Manila.

The Philippine government has submitted a diplomatic note on the expulsion of Villa, issuance of arrest warrants against three Philippine diplomats, and detention of four other Filipinos.

At the press conference, Cayetano reiterated that "this action taken by Kuwait is deeply disturbing and very inconsistent with the assurances given to me personally by the Kuwaiti Ambassador where he categorically declared the following: both sides agreed to move forward from the rescue video issue and Ambassador Villa is welcome to stay in Kuwait until the end of his tour."

The government on Thursday remained optimistic that negotiations on the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that will give Filipino workers greater protection in Kuwait will continue and finalized.

"We continue to hope that the MOA on the minimum terms and conditions of employment relative to the hiring of Filipinos in Kuwait will also be signed as scheduled after Ramadan," Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

"We hope that this development will not lead to further worsening of bilateral ties between the two countries," he added. — Margaret Claire Layug/BAP, GMA News