Sanction negligent officials – OFWs

MANILA, Philippines — A group of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) yesterday urged the Duterte administration to investigate and sanction government officials who failed to act on the case of Joanna Demafelis, who was found dead inside a freezer in Kuwait, and other distressed OFWs.

Migrante International said the Duterte government has failed to keep its promise of protecting OFWs.

They noted that last year, Filipina worker Jakatia Pawa was executed in Kuwait and the Philippine government received official information about her execution only 18 hours before it was carried out. 

“One year on, there’s still no letup in the ever-increasing number of brutal killings and executions perpetrated against OFWs in their host countries under Duterte’s watch,” Migrante said.

“Duterte himself acknowledged that there were more than a hundred OFW deaths in Kuwait last year and more than a dozen of which are currently being investigated due to possible foul play.

“Duterte’s hardline pronouncements against Kuwait remain to be mere grandstanding and sheer hypocrisy unless problems marking labor conditions in the Philippines are resolved,” the group added.

Migrante also called for justice for the death of Demafelis.

“May the perpetrators be punished as we also raise our call for justice for all the many victims of the government’s negligence towards distressed migrants in dire need of immediate help,” Migrante said.

Demafelis, 29, was beaten several times before she died, according to the initial autopsy report.

The Kuwaiti government is searching for a Lebanese man and a Syrian woman, suspects in the killing of Demafelis.

The two reportedly left Kuwait when authorities found the body of Demafelis inside the freezer in an abandoned apartment.

Migrante International also urged the Duterte administration to publicize the bilateral agreement it intends to sign with Kuwait regarding the protection of OFWs.

No Kuwait visit without firm agreements

Last Friday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said Kuwaiti Ambassador Saleh Ahmad Althwaik followed up on the invitation for Duterte to visit Kuwait during their meeting at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday.

But Cayetano said the President will not visit Kuwait without clear direction toward solving the problems of Filipino workers there.

“They think that if the President will visit, he will see that a majority of Kuwaiti employers are taking care of Filipino workers, whether company, industry or household,” Cayetano said.

Cayetano said he explained to the Kuwaiti ambassador that “before the President can go, there should be substantial agreement and firm commitments with each other.”

Last week, Kuwait condemned Duterte’s call to evacuate OFWs from Kuwait, saying this could affect bilateral relations.

Duterte ordered a suspension of deployment of workers to Kuwait, following the deaths of Filipinos there.

At least 177 Filipino workers from Kuwait arrived in Manila yesterday, bringing to 1,700 the total number of repatriated OFWs from Kuwait.

A majority of the repatriated OFWs are household service workers who availed themselves of the Kuwaiti government’s amnesty program.

Many of the distressed OFWs are victims of illegal recruitment who entered Kuwait through neighboring countries.

The DFA continues to negotiate with the Kuwaiti government for an extension of the amnesty program, which will allow undocumented OFWs to process the documents they need to work legally in Kuwait.

More social welfare attachés

Amid reports of mounting cases of OFWs in distress, Sen. Sonny Angara is pushing for the deployment of more social welfare attachés (SWA) to beef up the Philippine diplomatic missions in countries swamped with pleas for help from abused Filipinos or those in trouble with the law.

Angara said there is an urgent need to send more SWAs because there are only four social welfare officers deployed by the government across the globe.

“We really have only a few SWAs, or less than one SWA per continent,” Angara said.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has two SWAs posted in Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, and one each in Kuwait and Malaysia.

There are reported plans to send three more SWAs to Dubai, Qatar and Hong Kong.

But what is lacking, Angara said, is a trained professional who can provide care, comfort and counseling to Filipinos in crisis situations and in need of special protection.

“Even if we have good lawyers or experts of laws in host countries, we still need those who have to give psychosocial care to those victims of trafficking or violence,” Angara said.

The presence of SWAs, he said, is a welcome addition to any embassy, and they should be integrated and made permanent fixtures of the country’s foreign service.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines also sought better protection for OFWs from the Duterte administration.

During the Church’s celebration of the 32nd National Migrants Sunday, the CBCP episcopal commission on migrants and itinerant people (ECMIP) reminded the government of its duties to OFWs, who are considered “modern-day heroes” of the nation.

Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos, chair of ECMIP, said OFWs must be protected the way the government protects ordinary citizens living and working in the country.

“Our migrant workers should be safe. They should not be threatened or exploited. Their rights must be protected and their dignity respected,” he added.  –  With Pia Lee-Brago, Paolo Romero, Edu Punay