Leni: Let career diplomats settle Kuwait row

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Friday urged the government to utilize the Department of Foreign Affairs' career diplomats to resolve the dilemma with Kuwait.

Over 260,000 Filipino workers may risk losing their jobs as the Kuwaiti government had dismissed Philippine Ambassador Renato Villa following the embassy's rescue missions for distressed OFWs.

"Our DFA is privileged to have a team of professional, competent, and committed career diplomats who undoubtedly have skills, insight, and experience to help navigate this current diplomatic dilemma successfully," Robredo said in a statement.

"The administration would do well to make full use of this invaluable resource," she added.

Expressing grave concern over the conflict with Kuwait, Robredo pointed out that the deliberate release of videos of the rescue missions created the diplomatic challenge with the Gulf state.

Protecting the welfare of OFWs should be the main focus of the government, the vice president said.

"Decisive steps must be taken at the soonest time to rectify this situation, and prevent further harm from being inflicted on our OFWs," Robredo said.

To resolve the situation, Robredo suggested that there should be a willingness to accept accountability and acknowledge the crisis.

"Together with doing what needs to be done to repair relations with Kuwait at the soonest possible time, we are hopeful that the window of opportunity to salvage the planned Memorandum of Understanding with Kuwait, which promises to provide long-term protection of our workers there, has not yet closed," the vice president said.

A week after being declared persona non grata in Kuwait, Villa has already returned to the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano insisted that there was no crime committed in the rescue of distressed Filipinos in Kuwait.

"It has been our argument from the start that there is no violation of any conventions, there was no crime, etc." Cayetano said.

The Kuwaiti government accused the Philippine Embassy of violating state laws and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations for conducting the rescue operations.