The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced on Thursday that nearly 900 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been brought back to the Philippines since May.
This comes after the issues between the Philippines and Kuwait regarding policies for Migrant workers remain unresolved.
During a press briefing, DMW Undersecretary Hans Cacdac expressed his gratitude for the ongoing safe repatriation of OFWs.
"Of course, we're thankful na patuloy ang safe repatriation ng mga OFWs natin. Halos aabot na ng 900 ang napauwi since last May," said the official.
Meanwhile, Cacdac provided an update on the dialogue between the two countries concerning the concerns surrounding OFWs.
He stated that they are still closely monitoring the situation with Kuwait in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
In May, the Kuwaiti government implemented a suspension on new visas for OFWs due to reported violations of bilateral labor agreement signed in 2018.
These violations allegedly included housing workers in shelters, conducting searches for runaways without involving state institutions, unauthorized communication with Kuwaiti citizens, and pressuring Kuwaiti employers to modify employment contracts.
The ban was imposed following Manila's decision to halt the deployment of household service workers to Kuwait three months prior.
The suspension was prompted by incidents of abuse, including the tragic case of Jullebee Ranara, a Filipina household worker who was killed.
Her burned body was discovered in the desert, and it was reported that she had been raped and impregnated by the 17-year-old son of her employer.
