The Department of Migrant Workers on Saturday thumbed down calls for a ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait a day after the remains of a 35-year-old Filipino crime victim arrived from the oil-rich country.
Jullebee Ranara’s body arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport aboard Flight EK 334. An autopsy done in Kuwait determined she was raped and killed and her body burned.
Ranara was found to be pregnant at the time of her killing allegedly by the 17-year-old son of her employer.
“If we impose a deployment ban, it’s like we’re disregarding the provision of our labor cooperation and bilateral labor agreements (with Kuwait),” Labor Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said Saturday.
DMW Secretary Susan Ople said they would discuss with representatives of the Kuwaiti government how to ensure the safety and improve the welfare of Filipinos working in that country.
She said that concrete safeguards put in place in Saudi Arabia for overseas Filipino workers may also be applied to those with employment contracts in Kuwait.
Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva and Cynthia Villar have called for a deployment ban of OFWs to Kuwait following Ranara’s death.
“If we impose a deployment ban, we’re sending a message that Kuwait is not suitable for our workers. We understand that there is anger over what happened. For us, there is space for us to discuss,” Ople said.
“It should not be seen as a sign of weaknesses on the part of the Philippine government not to impose a deployment ban,” she added.
The official said the better approach is to pursue labor diplomacy and reforms through bilateral talks to put in place mechanisms for corrective actions to prevent the commission of similar crimes against OFWs.
Ranara’s employer will be blacklisted from ever employing a Filipino, Olalia said. Ranara’s recruiter is also being investigated for possible sanctions, he added.
The suspect in the rape and killing of Ranara had been arrested by Kuwaiti authorities.