MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) summoned yesterday Kuwaiti Ambassador Musaed Saleh Althwaikh to discuss the plight of Filipino migrant workers following the gruesome murder of a Filipina domestic helper in Kuwait. 

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has recalled to Manila the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) welfare officer assigned in Kuwait for allegedly failing to provide assistance to the family of murdered domestic helper Joanna Daniella Demafelis.

President Duterte has ordered Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Cayetano to secure a commitment from the Kuwaiti government that it would protect Filipinos working in the Gulf state. 

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said under international law, each country is bound to give to foreigners in its territory the same protection it gives its own citizens. 

“I have restated the obligation of the Kuwaiti government and that is to treat Filipino nationals in the same manner as it treats its own nationals. And of course, in terms of when there will be a breach of its international obligation, it must amount to an outrage, bad faith or willful neglect of duty,” he added. 

Cayetano was scheduled to meet with the Kuwait envoy.

The labor department has banned the deployment of workers to Kuwait following the deaths of eight Filipinos believed to have been maltreated by their employers. 

Duterte has expressed outrage over the deaths, even warning Kuwait that it may experience bad karma because of the abuses experienced by Filipino workers.

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah has condemned Duterte’s statements banning the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) but is reaching out to the Philippine government to explain the conditions of Filipino workers in his country.  

Roque said he was leaving it to Cayetano to react to the Kuwaiti foreign minister’s remark. 

“If he (Kuwaiti foreign affairs minister) will put himself on the position of the President and see one of your citizens being ironed, I am sure he would act the same way our President has acted,” Bello said.

Reacting on the condemnation of the Kuwaiti government against the ban, Bello said Duterte is merely protecting the welfare of Filipino workers.

Bello maintained that the Philippine government as ordered by the President will impose the ban until the Kuwaiti government can ensure the safety and protection of Filipino workers.

According to Bello, he already met and informed the Kuwaiti ambassador of the need for their government to forge a memorandum of agreement providing additional protection for OFWs.

He said the ambassador agreed, prompting him to create a technical working group tasked to come out with a draft agreement.

Bello said he has ordered the immediate recall of DOLE welfare officer Sarah Concepion from Kuwait.

He previously issued a memorandum directing labor attaché Alejandro Padaen and Concepcion to explain their alleged inaction on the case of Demafelis.

“The explanation of Ms. Concepion, I could not accept so I immediately ordered her recall,” Bello said, while noting that he is still awaiting the explanation of Padaen.

Bello though said that Padaen claimed that he was newly assigned as labor attaché when the case of Demafelis was presented to him.

If Padaen’s explanation would not be reasonable, Bello said, he would also order his recall.

Demafelis was murdered and found inside a freezer at an abandoned apartment in Kuwait.

Bello also defended President Duterte’s order to ban the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait.

Asked if the Philippines is considering any legal action against Kuwait, Roque said: “I think the President’s message is very clear: he will not tolerate abuses to be committed against Filipino nationals.”

Roque said Philippine officials in Kuwait who were accused of not doing anything after the disappearance of Demafelis would be accorded due process. 

Bello has asked Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) officials to explain their alleged failure to act on her family’s appeal for help to locate her. 

“Let’s see if there’s a formal complaint, and of course if there’s a formal complaint, it will be investigated,” Roque said. 

Roque said the Philippines cannot seek the extradition of the employers of Demafelis and could only hope that the Kuwaiti government would prosecute the people behind her death.

Remains arrive today

The remains of Demafelis will arrive in Manila today, the DFA said yesterday.

Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Rene Villa went to the Al-Sabah Hospital mortuary last Wednesday afternoon to view Demafelis’ remains as part of preparations for the repatriation. 

Villa said he was again assured by Kuwaiti authorities that they were doing their best to locate and arrest Demafelis’ Lebanese employer and his Syrian wife for the murder. 

Duterte had ordered a deployment ban for OFWs heading for Kuwait following the discovery of the murder of Demafelis.

The 29-year-old domestic worker from Iloilo was found dead last week inside a freezer at an apartment in Kuwait that had been abandoned for more than a year.

Villa said Kuwaiti authorities are shocked and angered by the murder and vowed to bring those responsible to justice. 

The third batch of 925 workers from Kuwait arrived on Wednesday from Kuwait.

The DFA said the 925 mostly household service workers are expected to resettle in the Philippines or pursue employment in other countries following the total ban on OFW deployment to Kuwait.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon aired his support for the ban on deployment of Filipinos to Kuwait, but said that the parameters should be defined clearly in order to avoid confusion.

“The total ban is a remedy that, radical as it is, is necessary because of the abuses,” Drilon said.

He said that the government should expect some consequences as a result of the deployment ban to Kuwait, but added he sees nothing that the country can’t handle.

Based on his own experience, Drilon said that the receiving country would resort to all kinds of pressure on the Philippines following the ban, particularly in terms of bilateral trade.

“We should be able to stand whatever pressure Kuwait will put on us in terms of trade relationship. I do not know to what extent the trade relationship is but I support the ban because really it is something that we must do,” Drilon said.

In the long term, Drilon said the local economy must be developed further so that there would be enough jobs in the country and Filipinos would no longer have to leave to seek employment.

A day before the Kuwaiti government condemned his statements on the deployment ban, Duterte recalled an experience with Arabs, whom he described as “smelly.” 

He said there was a time when he traveled to Japan and encountered smelly Arabs in a holding room. 

“They brought me to the holding room. These Arabs smell really bad. The room was air-conditioned so it was a closed space. So the air just circulated inside the room. Son of a b****. I was nauseous,” the President said in a private meeting in Cebu City last Feb. 13, a transcript of which was provided to the media Wednesday night. 

“Ang babaho ninyong y*** kayo (You smell bad you devils). This won’t register because I’m sick. I have Buerger’s disease because of smoking,” he added.  – With Pia Lee-Brago, Mayen Jaymalin, Marvin Sy