President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. does not intend to enforce a total deployment ban of Filipino workers to Kuwait, saying he does not want to burn bridges.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Betheena Unite)
"I’m never very comfortable yung nagba-ban na ganon. Dahil parang ang pag-ban sinasabi mo forever na ‘yan, hindi na puwede (in those banning. Because once you said ban, you're saying that's forever, it's no longer allowed)," Marcos said on the sidelins of the 125th anniversary of the Philippine Navy on Friday, May 26.
The President was referring to the temporary deployment ban implemented by the Philippines to Kuwait, which was later followed by Kuwait's move to suspend its issuance of new entry visas for all Filipino workers.
Marcos stressed that instead of ordering a total ban, he will let the negotiations between the two countries continue, hoping for a favorable result.
"I don’t want to burn any bridges na sasabihin, baka in the future, baka in a little while, a few months from now, a year from now, sasabihin magbago ang sitwasyon ‘di baka puwede pa tayong magpadala ulit ng mga ating workers sa Kuwait (perhaps in the future, in a little while, a few months from now, a year from now, the situation changes, then maybe we can deploy our workers again)," he said.
The chief executive pointed out that enforcing a ban is not the proper action to be done.
"We have to react to the situation as it is. And I think the proper reaction is to take the decision of the Kuwaiti government to no longer issue new visas," he said.
"Eh wala tayong magagawa (We cannot do anything). It’s their country. Those are their rules. So, we will just leave that issue open and hopefully we will continue to negotiate with them," he added.
Marcos said the country will continue to consult with Kuwaiti officials to improve the situation.
He said there are about 800 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who failed to enter Kuwait due to the new deployment ban.
"So, hopefully down the road, we will continue to work to improve that situation," Marcos said.
The Philippines has imposed a ban on the deployment of first-time workers to Kuwait.
It came after the death of Jullebee Ranara, a domestic helper in the Middle East country, who was killed by her employer's son. Her body was burned and dumped in the desert.