'Please come home' Duterte recalls Filipinos in Kuwait
Published Apr 28, 2018 01:18 pm
By Argyll Cyrus Geducos
SINGAPORE---President Duterte has decided to pull out all Filipino workers from Kuwait and appealed to the rest of the Filipino community there to come home as the tension between the Philippines and Kuwait continues to boil.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
Duterte made the statement after Kuwait declared Philippine Ambassador Renato Villa persona non grata and recalled their envoy Musaed Saleh Ahmad Althwaikh after a video of the Philippine embassy's rescue operation for abused Filipino workers went viral.
Duterte, during his meeting with the members of the Filipino community here, said he decided to recall all Filipinos in Kuwait because he feels like Kuwaitis do not like Filipinos and that they have somehow become a burden to them.
"So ang sabihin ko, apparently parang lumalabas na may galit sila sa mga Pilipino. Ayaw ko na silang papuntahin because apparently parang ayaw ninyo ang Pilipino (So what I'm saying is it appears that they have something against Filipinos. I don't want them going there anymore because it seems that you do not like Filipinos)," he said Saturday evening.
Duterte also appealed to all Filipinos in Kuwait to come home, assuring them that he is willing to spend even the money China gave worth around P5.4 billion, that was originally set for education, just to support them.
"Kayong mga nandyan sa Kuwait, those who are not really household workers, I now appeal to your sense of patriotism. Come home. Tutal marami nang trabaho sa Pilipinas (After all, there are now many available jobs in the Philippines)," he said.
" the presence of the Filipino, if it is a burden, allow us to get them out. I have that money which was intended for education. Gagastuhin ko ‘yan (I will spend that) to the last centavo," he added.
The President, on the other hand, asked Kuwait to spare Filipinos from abuse while he get all funds needed to support the OFWs who will go home.
"Huwag na lang ho ninyong (Just please)--- do not irk them. Just help us. I will look for money at kukunin ko lahat, lahat ng trabahanteng Pilipinong nasa ," Duterte said.
"Just do not hurt them. I plead that they be given a treatment deserving of a human being," he added.
"We sent abroad not slaves but human beings. But if somehow their style of working does not fit into your culture and they are hurt along the way, please understand our problem because I cannot just stand idly here. I have to do something," he continued.
Meanwhile, Duterte also said that he does not want the issue to affect the good relations between the Philippines and Kuwait so he decided to just get all Filipinos out of the gulf state.
"I’d want to assure Kuwait that we have a history of friendship. At this time, ayaw kong guluhin ‘yan (I don't want to ruin that). So in a very diplomatic way, I do not want to destroy a good neighbor, a friend, for after all, ilang years man rin silang nagtulong sa atin (they have helped us over the years)," he said.
"They accepted our brothers and sisters. But hindi ko na matanggap ‘yung (I cannot accept) what’s happening to them," he added.
However, Duterte said that he will only talk to Kuwait after he has finished getting all Filipinos from the gulf state back to the Philippines.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque earlier described Duterte's decision to the Kuwait issue as 'solomonic,' unexpected, and very dramatic.
The tension between the Philippines and Kuwait started when Duterte lashed out against the gulf state for the death of Joanna Demafelis. Demafelis was reportedly beaten to death by her employers in Kuwait and was stuffed inside a freezer for more than a year in an abandoned apartment unit. Her body was discovered only this February after being declared missing since November, 2016.
Demafelis' death prompted Duterte to order a total deployment ban of new OFWs to Kuwait and said that he will only lift the ban if Kuwait agrees to signing an MOU that aims to protect OFWs from abusive employers. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was supposed to be signed some time before Ramadan.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
Duterte made the statement after Kuwait declared Philippine Ambassador Renato Villa persona non grata and recalled their envoy Musaed Saleh Ahmad Althwaikh after a video of the Philippine embassy's rescue operation for abused Filipino workers went viral.
Duterte, during his meeting with the members of the Filipino community here, said he decided to recall all Filipinos in Kuwait because he feels like Kuwaitis do not like Filipinos and that they have somehow become a burden to them.
"So ang sabihin ko, apparently parang lumalabas na may galit sila sa mga Pilipino. Ayaw ko na silang papuntahin because apparently parang ayaw ninyo ang Pilipino (So what I'm saying is it appears that they have something against Filipinos. I don't want them going there anymore because it seems that you do not like Filipinos)," he said Saturday evening.
Duterte also appealed to all Filipinos in Kuwait to come home, assuring them that he is willing to spend even the money China gave worth around P5.4 billion, that was originally set for education, just to support them.
"Kayong mga nandyan sa Kuwait, those who are not really household workers, I now appeal to your sense of patriotism. Come home. Tutal marami nang trabaho sa Pilipinas (After all, there are now many available jobs in the Philippines)," he said.
" the presence of the Filipino, if it is a burden, allow us to get them out. I have that money which was intended for education. Gagastuhin ko ‘yan (I will spend that) to the last centavo," he added.
The President, on the other hand, asked Kuwait to spare Filipinos from abuse while he get all funds needed to support the OFWs who will go home.
"Huwag na lang ho ninyong (Just please)--- do not irk them. Just help us. I will look for money at kukunin ko lahat, lahat ng trabahanteng Pilipinong nasa ," Duterte said.
"Just do not hurt them. I plead that they be given a treatment deserving of a human being," he added.
"We sent abroad not slaves but human beings. But if somehow their style of working does not fit into your culture and they are hurt along the way, please understand our problem because I cannot just stand idly here. I have to do something," he continued.
Meanwhile, Duterte also said that he does not want the issue to affect the good relations between the Philippines and Kuwait so he decided to just get all Filipinos out of the gulf state.
"I’d want to assure Kuwait that we have a history of friendship. At this time, ayaw kong guluhin ‘yan (I don't want to ruin that). So in a very diplomatic way, I do not want to destroy a good neighbor, a friend, for after all, ilang years man rin silang nagtulong sa atin (they have helped us over the years)," he said.
"They accepted our brothers and sisters. But hindi ko na matanggap ‘yung (I cannot accept) what’s happening to them," he added.
However, Duterte said that he will only talk to Kuwait after he has finished getting all Filipinos from the gulf state back to the Philippines.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque earlier described Duterte's decision to the Kuwait issue as 'solomonic,' unexpected, and very dramatic.
The tension between the Philippines and Kuwait started when Duterte lashed out against the gulf state for the death of Joanna Demafelis. Demafelis was reportedly beaten to death by her employers in Kuwait and was stuffed inside a freezer for more than a year in an abandoned apartment unit. Her body was discovered only this February after being declared missing since November, 2016.
Demafelis' death prompted Duterte to order a total deployment ban of new OFWs to Kuwait and said that he will only lift the ban if Kuwait agrees to signing an MOU that aims to protect OFWs from abusive employers. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was supposed to be signed some time before Ramadan.