MANILA, Philippines — Following the deaths of two overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait, Senator Raffy Tulfo has proposed exploring the possibility of suspending the deployment of Filipino workers to the country.  

Tulfo said that the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers has received over 150 reports from OFWs in different countries, citing issues such as abuse, maltreatment, and inadequate compensation from their employers.

He noted that Filipino domestic workers are generally hardworking, saying that issues often arise from problematic and abusive employers, whom he believes may not have been adequately screened.

“Continuing the deployment of new Filipino domestic workers in Kuwait without fixing the current system is like sending our workers to the lion’s den,” he said in a statement.

This came after authorities reported that two Filipinos, Jenny Alvarado and Dafnie Nacalaban died in Kuwait.

Alvarado reportedly died due to “coal suffocation” while Nacalaban went missing in October and was later found decomposing after two months.

The bilateral agreement with Kuwait was signed in 2018 in the wake of deaths of Filipinos in the foreign land and was later renewed in 2021. 

In 2023, Kuwait suspended the issuance of new visas to Filipinos following the death of Julleebee Ranara which also prompted the Philippines to halt sending OFWs to Kuwait.

Tulfo said that the Philippine government should reinstate the deployment ban until it can coordinate with Kuwaiti officials to establish additional requirements for foreign employers hiring Filipinos.  

He noted that these requirements should include a neuro-psychiatric evaluation to assess mental fitness, alongside the submission of police clearance and proof of financial capacity to pay workers.  

Tulfo also highlighted the importance of conducting spot inspections of employers’ households before deploying OFWs to Kuwait. Additionally, he proposed requiring foreign employers to attend seminars that familiarize them with Filipino culture.

Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said that spot inspections are currently conducted only for Filipinos working in Singapore. He emphasized that implementing a similar system in countries like Kuwait would require proper coordination with the respective foreign government.

“You want our workers, then this is what you need to do. Kapag hindi nakipagcoordinate sa atin ang Kuwait, then we must totally stop deployment of domestic workers in their country,” said Cacdac.

For its part, the official said that the department is currently reviewing the policies for OFW deployment in Kuwait whether to tighten the requirements or impose more stringent measures.

“What we have now is the deferment of first-time OFWs with no overseas experience. We are also implementing the whitelisting and blacklisting of Kuwaiti recruiters, pre-departure briefings, and electronic on-site monitoring. Everybody goes through pre-departure briefings, and so we know their contact numbers. We meet them personally before they leave,” Cacdac said in a separate statement.