Robredo wants bilateral agreement protecting OFWs in Kuwait signed immediately

Vice President Leni Robredo has called for the immediate signing of a bilateral agreement between the Philippine and Kuwaiti governments to protect the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait.

In her weekly radio show "BISErbisyong LENI" on Sunday, Robredo expressed hope that the agreement will be signed once President Rodrigo Duterte visits the Gulf nation, adding that measures "must be in place" to protect the more than 250,000 Filipinos who may want to continue working in Kuwait.

"Sana iyong kanyang pagbisita magbibigay ng pressure sa pamahalaan ng Kuwait na pirmahan na. Kasi kahit ganito iyong nangyayari, ang reality talaga, iyong mga Pilipinong nandoon na hindi naman nagdadaan sa ganitong pagsubok, ayaw ding umuwi kasi siyempre iniisip nila iyong kanilang employment," Robredo said.

"So kailangang siguraduhin natin na iyong maiiwan talagang protected," she added. 

Robredo also backed the pronouncement of Duterte on suspending the deployment of OFWs in Kuwait, saying that this is a "strong response" to reported violence against Filipino workers.

"Tingin ko tama iyong ginawa ng ating Pangulo...Talagang malakas na statement [ito] sa mga nangyayaring kaharasan," she said.

This came in after the body of OFWs Joanna Daniela Demafelis was discovered inside a freezer in an abandoned apartment in Kuwait last week.

A total deployment ban may pressure Kuwait to sign a long-awaited bilateral agreement that will ensure additional protection for Filipino workers there, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in an interview on Unang Balita on Monday.

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration administrator Atty. Hans Cacdac, meanwhile, said the Philippine government is only waiting for the signing of the bilateral agreement as the draft has already been sent to the Kuwaiti government.

Acting on the President's pronouncement, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III earlier said that he will issue a new order on Monday imposing a total deployment ban of Filipino workers to Kuwait. —Marlly Rome Bondoc/KG, GMA News