MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is sending a team to read up on the scenario of Filipino Staff (OFW) in Kuwait following the killing of Filipino domestic worker Jullebee Ranara.
The OFW reportedly killed her employer’s 17-year-old son, whom she had described to her circle of relatives as “cruel,” according to Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople. The minor has been arrested and taken into the custody of the Kuwaiti. police.
“The task to be completed is a directive from the Secretary to send an investigation team to Kuwait to determine [and] make an inventory of the welfare agencies there, and the tactics and means of dealing with those welfare instances, either by filing instances in Kuwait if necessary. , or to register court cases with hard work courts and local authorities,” DMW Undersecretary Hans Cacdac said at a press conference on Saturday, Jan. 28.
Members of the investigative team come with Filipino social attaché Bernard Bonina and attorney Geraldine Mendez, who is part of the DMW’s anti-illegal recruitment branch.
“The findings would possibly lead to policy reforms and even, if necessary, body adjustments based on the functionality audit to be conducted through this research team,” Ople said.
Ranara’s frame was brought back to the Philippines on the evening of Friday, January 27. Ople, who personally observed burns on Ranara’s frame, said the frame was taken to a funeral home somewhere in the city of Cavite. The National Bureau of Investigation scheduled to begin its post-autopsy on Saturday morning.
DMW officials accompanied Ranara’s brothers and cousins, who were there to obtain the remains of the OFW on Friday night. The chairmen of the Senate and House migrant committees, Senator Raffy Tulfo and Kabayan Reviewer Ron Salo, respectively, also dealt with Ranara’s repatriation.
Ople witnessed the family’s “heartbreaking” reunion with Ranara.
On Saturday, Cacdac said Ople had ordered a review of the latest duel hard work agreements between the Philippines and Kuwait.
“Secretary Toots’ direction is to review, review this bilateral operating agreement and protect it from OFWs (Secretary Toots’ directive was to review, review this bilateral operating agreement and the shield of our OFWS),” Cacdac explained.
The DMW, according to Cacdac, will review the procurement procedure and contracting criteria of OFWs in Kuwait.
“A sabay nito was established through Secretary Toots, his recruitment criteria for the definition of his moral criteria of recruitment for OFW in Kuwait, in most countries, in Halimbawa, in his agencies with impeccable track records, even if he deploys OFW in Kuwait. “
(And along with that, Secretary Toots also ordered a review of the hiring criteria to ensure the moral hiring criteria for our OFWS in Kuwait, so that we can ensure, for example, that only agencies with smart records can deploy OFW in Kuwait. )
DMW Deputy Secretary Bernard Olalia reported that the DMW had issued a preemptive stay against Ranara’s employer, meaning they cannot hire Filipino workers. Olalia said the preventive suspension triggers a procedure that will ultimately lead to a final resolution on permanent blacklisting.
Ranara’s recruitment agencies in the Philippines and Kuwait will also be subject to sanctions. Olalia said the branch is preparing to file a contract violation complaint against Catalyst International Manpower Services Company and its Kuwait-based counterpart, Platinum International Office for Recruitment of Domestic Manpower.
Olalia said the “most important” legal responsibility of recruitment agencies is the continuous monitoring of workers. He said they should check with their OFWs if they have any consideration about their workplace, such as whether they are being harmed.
“According to the investigation, this was not fulfilled. We didn’t get any reports on our OFW wellness tracking system, and we didn’t get any reports that [Ranara] had a challenge with the 17-year-old,” Olalia said in a statement. Combination of English and Filipino.
DMW is scheduled to meet with local recruitment agencies sending nationals to Kuwait on Monday, January 30.
On Friday, Senator Tulfo pushed for a total ban on deployment in Kuwait, which he said would send “a very strong message. “Kuwait’s government is also considering a public apology, not just an apology to Ranara’s family, Tulfo said.
“After [the imposition of] the blanket ban on deployment, this is the only time we can sit down with them, in bilateral talks, but on our terms. We give them conditions. And if they need OFW, they have to stick to our conditions,” Tulfo said in a combination of English and Filipino.
Pressed through reporters Saturday over the DMW’s resolution to accompany and not impose a deployment ban, Ople said it was in the country’s interest to prioritize continued hard-work diplomacy.
“Pag nag-impose ka kasi ng deployment ban, is sending a message that ‘Kuwait is suitable for our workers. ‘”Parang sinasabi mo, “Galit-galit tayo”. Di ba?” Hindi kami magpapadala sa inyo. And naiintindihan namin na mayroong ganoon dahil nga sobrang galit natin sa nangyari, “yun ang gustong gawin,” Ople said.
“‘Yung sa amin naman, mayroon namang paraan for mag-usap. Ngayon, ang dapat ayusin, ‘yung time table ng pag-uusapan. Sa tingin namin, mas Advantageux sa mga natin na nandoon. . . na patuloy kaming nag-uusap with Kuwait,” he added.
(When it imposes a deployment ban, it sends a message that “Kuwait is not suitable for our personnel. “It’s like saying, “We’re fighting each other. ” We will not send you staff. And we perceive why there are calls like that because of our anger at what happened. For us, there are tactics for dialogue. Now it only remains to establish the schedule for the communication points. We think it’s more for our staff there. . . . that we continue to communicate in Kuwait. )
Ople said some points that would push the Philippines to impose a ban come with consensus between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the DMW, given what is in the national interest, the pros and cons of OFWs there and those they aspire to paint there. , and the willingness of the host Government to dialogue.
“It’s a product of feelings and political acoustics because the staff is involved. That’s why we’re cautious in the industry,” Ople said, aware that the resolution has drawn criticism.
The Kuwaiti government expressed its sympathy and willingness to prosecute Ranara’s case on the basis of its communications to the Philippine government, such as through DMW.
There are more than two hundred OFWs housed in shelters in Kuwait who have active welfare cases. Ople said the branch had not yet discovered a threshold that would imply the right time to impose a deployment ban. – Rappler. com