Kuwaitis partnering with RP in Iraq rebuilding drive

Kuwaitis are ready to enter into partnerships with Philippine companies to undertake projects for the reconstruction of Iraq.

The Public-Private Sector Task Force for the Reconstruction of Iraq made the announcement after a seven-member Philippine delegation returned from Kuwait last week.

Task force chairman Roberto Romulo said in a statement the delegation met with key officials of the Kuwaiti business chamber, including Salah al-Marzouk and former finance minister Abdul Wahab al-Wazzan.

"Kuwait has a long history of commercial and cultural relations with Iraq and is poised to be the main jump-off point for doing business in Iraq," he said.

"Clearly the Kuwaitis have a leg up on everybody else and are going in there; and in our various meetings they expressed their eagerness to do this in partnership with Philippine companies. They said they have the capital and the knowledge of the market and we have the skilled labor," Romulo said.

But Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said the chances of Filipinos getting jobs in Iraq might be "adversely affected" by the government’s refusal to negotiate with American firms Bechtel Corp. and Halliburton-KBR, which have been sued before the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC).

"The Philippine government doesn’t compromise," she said. "The National Labor Relations Commission will continue hearing the cases filed by a group of overseas Filipino workers (against Bechtel and Halliburton)."

The NLRC has ordered Bechtel to pay $6.5 million to 630 Filipino workers for the unexpired terms of their contracts after they were deployed in Algeria in 1995.

Bechtel was forced to abandon the project because of war in Algeria.

However, the Filipinos said their contracts should be honored in their entirety and that they should be compensated because these were signed in the Philippines.

Bechtel has appealed the NLRC decision favoring the Filipino workers.

Halliburton is facing a $600 million suit for terminating a contract with striking Filipino workers who have been hired to construct detention camps for suspected terrorists at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

Bechtel and Halliburton are reportedly poised to get the larger share of reconstruction jobs in Iraq because of close connections in Washington.

The two American firms are "wary" to sign new deals with Philippine companies until the labor problems have been ironed out, said the Philippine Contractors Association Inc.

Romulo said the Philippine delegation met with the country managers for Kuwait of Halliburton and Dyncorp, another prime American contractor.

"The visit confirmed the excellent reputation that Filipino workers have earned worldwide, and everybody we spoke to attested to that," he said.

"In the discussions, Kuwaiti companies said they prefer to work with Philippine companies (which) cannot only supply the labor but also project management capabilities."

Romulo said Philippine companies will also have opportunities to provide basic services, port and logistic operations and telecommunications in Iraq.

"The task force will visit Iraq next, once clearance is given by the central command of the ‘coalition of the willing’," he said.

"A visit to Iraq by a full delegation of Philippine contractors is being scheduled for late May or early June."

The Public-Private Sector Task Force for the Reconstruction of Iraq will establish a presence in Kuwait and eventually in Iraq by June if private sector funding is available, Romulo added. – Mayen Jaymalin