The Philippine government has assured assistance to the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the Kuwaiti government's suspension of work visas, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. *(Jansen Romero/File Photo)*

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO), citing an interview with DFA Assistant Secretary Paul Cortes, said the affected OFWs would be included in the National Reintegration Program of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), among other forms of assistance. “Para mabigyan sila ng tulong at ayuda considering alam nila kung ano iyong mga pinagdaanan at alam nila (So we can assist them considering they know what they're going through and) what they had to give up just to the flight to Kuwait,” Cortes said in a media forum in Quezon City. According to reports, the government of Kuwait had suspended the issuance of new entry visas for Filipinos into the Middle Eastern country. “We were told na it is only for those na bago – meaning kung wala kang resident visa o iyong tinatawag nilang ‘iqama’… hindi ka pwede pumasok (for the new ones. So if you don't have resident visa or the iqama, you cannot enter)," he said. "Pero kung babalik ka ng Kuwait dahil doon ka naman na nagtatrabaho at—iyon nga, have been living there, working there, pwede ka namang pumasok (But if you're returning to Kuwait because you work there and you;ve been living and working there, then you can enter),” he added. Meanwhile, a delegation of officials from the DFA and DMW will travel to Kuwait this month as part of the ongoing discussions between the Philippines and Kuwait to tackle labor concerns and issues. "Palagi naman may discussions ang Kuwait and Philippines very often. Nagkataon lang na may ganitong klaseng mainit na issue (There are always discussions between Kuwait and the Philippines. It just so happens that there's an issue now)," Cortes said. "It's a constant communication forum that we have instituted – not only with Kuwait but all the others to make sure na we're always on track as far as protection and promotion of the well-being of our migrants are concerned," he added. The OFWs the Philippine government recently rescued from Sudan received livelihood support and assistance, including US$200, from the DMW. American business firms have expressed interest in employing the displaced OFWs. There are employers in the US, the cruise ship industry, and Saudi Arabia that are interested and would like to see the profiles of Filipino workers rescued from Sudan.