Tulfo seeks Senate review of Philippines-Kuwait labor agreement
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Raffy Tulfo is calling on the upper chamber to review the labor agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait following the death of overseas Filipino worker Jullebee Ranara.
Tulfo, chair of the Senate committee on migrant workers, on Monday filed Senate Resolution No. 448 to revisit the deal "with the end view of establishing stricter policies, preventive measures and applicable sanctions or ban in the deployment of OFWs in Kuwait."
Sen. Raffy Tulfo seeks inquiry to review the labor agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait following the death of OFW Jullebee Ranara @PhilstarNews pic.twitter.com/dGyEtwITNg
— Xave Gregorio (@XaveGregorio) January 30, 2023
Ranara’s death in Kuwait, allegedly at the hands of her employer’s 17-year-old son, is the latest among Filipino workers in the Gulf state.
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The discovery of Joanna Demafelis’ body in her employers’ freezer in 2018 and the killing of Jeanelyn Villavenda in 2019 prompted deployment bans to Kuwait. These were lifted following negotiations between the Gulf nation and Manila.
Tulfo said he wants a fresh ban on sending new domestic workers to Kuwait, calling this a "leverage" in new negotiations with the Philippines.
"I want to send a strong message to Kuwaitis because they have repeatedly disrespected our countrymen," he said at a press conference in Filipino. "Let us not deploy for now until they sit with us and agree on whatever we want for the welfare of our OFWs."
But Tulfo said that his recommendations are ultimately up to the executive, which he called "soft" on the issue, to implement
"I can only recommend and investigate in aid of legislation. Those in the executive will implement this. What is terrible here is that we’re not aligned. I’m thinking of making a strong stand, giving a strong message, while the other side is soft," he said.
Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople floated last week a possible review of the country’s labor agreement with Kuwait to better secure OFWs there.
Ople, however, rejected the imposition of a deployment ban as she said she favored settling issues through diplomatic negotiations.
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