PHL yet to deploy worker to Kuwait a week after ban was lifted

The country has yet to deploy a Filipino worker to Kuwait a week after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the total lifting of the deployment ban, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Wednesday.

Facing senators during a hearing of the Senate labor, employment, and human resources development committee, Bello said many skilled workers experienced problems with their documents as a result of the deployment ban.

"Nagkaproblema lang sila dahil sa ban, 'yung iba na-expire ang visa, 'yung iba nag-expire ang medical certificate," he said.

Since the medical certificate costs P3,000, Bello said they will ask the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to help the affected OFWs.

"What we are going to do is ask the administrator of OWWA to help financially the OFWs para mabayaran 'yung bagong medical certificate," he said.

Duterte lifted the deployment ban after the Philippines and Kuwait signed a memorandum of understanding for the protection of Filipino domestic workers working in the Gulf state.

The ban was imposed following reports of abuses on Filipino workers in Kuwait, including the killing of Joanna Demafelis, the domestic worker whose body was found in a freezer in an apartment unit previously occupied by her employers.

Bello said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration is set to release next week the guidelines for the deployment of domestic service workers following the signing of the MOU.

"POEA Administrator [Bernard] Olalia is still drafting the guidelines to see to it that the overseas Filipino workers that we will be deploying will be sufficiently protected," he said.

"Sabi ni Olalia, next week lalabas na ang guidelines. I'm only referring on household service workers because skilled workers are not covered in this MOU," Bello added.

Olalia, who was also present at the hearing, said they will include in the guidelines the setting up of a "performance bond" to address the high cost being shelled out by employers to get a domestic worker.

"Kapag malaki ang cost na binayaran ng employer sa pag-engage ng domestic worker, hindi niya basta-basta bibitawan 'yun. Ang isang posibleng solusyon isasama sa guidelines is mag-set up ng performance bond 'yung employer para pag hindi nasunod at umalis ang domestic worker, merong insurance company na magbabalik ng high cost na binayaran ng employer," he said.

He said they would also include the strengthening of the training centers for domestic workers and even the training of foreign employers.

"Sa solution ng training centers, isasama sa guidelines 'yung pagpapatatag ng training centers para sa domestic workers. Hindi lang yung domestic worker ang itetrain, dapat matrain din ang foreign employers kung ano ba ang karapatan at responsibilidad ng ating domestic workers," Olalia said.

The hearing was ongoing as of posting time. —KBK, GMA News