The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) will review the guidelines on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Kuwait following the call of Senator Raffy Tulfo for a ban due to the recent deaths of a Filipino worker in the said country.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said he is open to the proposal but requested more time to assess its feasibility, saying the department is currently reviewing its deployment policies to take necessary actions, whether to restrict or take more stringent measures to ensure the safety and welfare of OFWs.
Tulfo maintained that the ban is necessary to protect OFWs from further harm after the recent deaths of two OFWs in Kuwait, one identified as Jenny Alvarado, who died due to suffocation from burning coal, and Dafnie Nacalaban, who went missing for two months but found dead.
On the other hand, Cacdac said the department is reviewing the deployment policies and also trying to review and will come up with the findings on whether to tighten the requirements or impose more stringent measures.
The DMW prohibits the deployment of first-time OFWs or OFWs without prior experience working overseas.
In a statement, Cacdac said that “what the department is doing right 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.