Kuwait pardons 14 Pinoy workers

Fourteen jailed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were granted amnesty by the Kuwaiti government as part of its Liberation Day celebration last Feb. 26, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said yesterday.

Reports reaching Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said the workers were serving sentences for various crimes committed while working in Kuwait.

Their offenses ranged from falsification of documents, drug possession, theft, drunkenness and extramarital relationships.

Sto. Tomas said an OFW found guilty of drug charges had been serving the longest jail term of three and a half years, while the shortest, a four-month sentence, was meted to an OFW found to be involved in an extramarital affair.

Kuwaitis annually mark Feb. 26, 1991 as the end of the Iraqi occupation of their country and the start of a new life for them.

Sto. Tomas said that while waiting for their return to the Philippines, the workers are staying at the Sulabiva Central Jail in Kuwait.

Kuwaiti-based labor attaché Leopoldo de Jesus said the Philippine Overseas Labor Office is coordinating with the Philippine embassy in Kuwait for the deportation of the OFWs.

Sto. Tomas has expressed gratitude to the Kuwaiti government for "extending mercy" to the OFWs. She said the move reflects the recognition of Kuwaiti government of everyone’s aspiration to be free to realize their potential.

She, however, urged all OFWs to obey the laws and culture of their host countries to prevent their employment — and their freedom — from being jeopardized.

"I ask all the OFWs to strictly respect the laws and follow the cultural norms in their countries of destination to preserve their jobs and their future," Sto. Tomas said.