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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Tulfo seeks review of existing bilateral agreement on OFW deployment to Kuwait

Tulfo seeks review of existing bilateral agreement on OFW deployment to Kuwait

Published Jan 30, 2023 06:00 pm

Senator Rafael "Raffy" T. Tulfo on Monday, January 30, filed Senate Resolution No. 448 seeking a Senate inquiry, in aid of legislation, to revisit, re-examine and review the existing bilateral agreement and standard employment contract governing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait.

The inquiry to be undertaken by an appropriate Senate committee followed the death of Jullibee Ranara, 35, whose body was burned and thrown in the desert in Kuwait last January 22.

In his resolution, Tulfo said that this is not the first time that a tragedy of such nature involving Filipina domestic workers happened in the Gulf State.

"In 2018, Joanna Demafelis was killed and in December, 2019, Jeanelyn Villavende was also murdered and found in her employer’s freezer," the resolution stated.

Following the death of Demafelis, the government imposed a ban on the deployment of OFWs in Kuwait on February 2018 but was lifted on May 2018.

Similarly, another ban was issued in February 2020 after the death of Joanna Demafelis. Subsequently, however, the ban was lifted after a month.

"Since 2016, 196 Filipino workers have died in Kuwait and nearly 80 percent to those deaths were due to physical abuse, according to the Philippine Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).The Philippine embassy in Kuwait reported 6,000 cases of abuse, sexual harassment and rape," the Tulfo resolution stated.

"Whereas, the lifting of the deployment ban in 2020 was premised on the adoption of a more harmonized Standard Employment Contract for Filipino OFWs in Kuwait which was agreed upon and signed by the Philippines and Kuwait governments and with terms and conditions purportedly for the added protection and welfare of our OFWs," he stressed.

"Despite the lifting of the deployment ban to Kuwait, and the enforcement of a new Standard Employment Contract, tragedies such as those of Joanna, Jeanelyn and now Jullibee’s, remain a perplexing reality," he added.

Related Tags

deployment ban OFWs KUWAIT Raffy Tulfo Jullebee Ranara
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