MANILA – The murder of Ilongga domestic worker Joanna Demafelis in Kuwait should be the last for overseas Filipino workers (OWF) in the Middle East, according to Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III as he and fellow senators welcomed the conviction of two suspects in the Filipina’s death.
But he thumbed down the suggestion to lift, even if partially, the labor deployment ban on Kuwait.
“We need further high-level talks and consultations with our countrymen’s host states in the Middle East to ensure that diplomatic, administrative and legal mechanisms are in place for the OFWs’ protection,” said Pimentel.
In February the government banned the deployment of OFWs to Kuwait following the discovery of Demafelis’ body inside the freezer of her employers’ abandoned apartment.
“(M)ore than (100) OFW deaths (were recorded) in Kuwait alone. The rest should be explained, too, and justice rendered,” stressed Pimentel.
There are an estimated 250,000 OFWs in Kuwait, government data showed.
The Philippine embassy in the oil-rich Gulf state said 4,000 undocumented OFWs have already been repatriated, with another 6,000 awaiting amnesty from the Kuwaiti government.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the sentencing of Demafelis’ killers – death by hanging – is an “encouraging sign” that Kuwait is ready to protect OFWs.
On April 1, the Kuwaiti Criminal Court convicted in absentia Lebanese Nader Issam Assaf and his Syrian wife Mona Hassoun and sentenced them to death for murdering the 29-year-old Demafelis, a ersudent of Barangay Ferraris, Sara, Iloilo.
The couple killed Demafelis sometime in 2016.
“The conviction, along with the eventual signing of the bilateral OFW protection agreement currently in the works, will go a long way toward rebuilding the strong labor ties between our countries,” said Gatchalian.
The senator also hoped that the Philippine and Kuwaiti governments will continue working together to implement long-lasting reforms that will strengthen the protection of fundamental rights of Filipino migrants.
Sen. Nancy Binay called the conviction of Demafelis’ employers “a big step towards the delivery of justice.”
Binay urged the government to further strengthen the relationships with countries where OFWs are deployed.
“Our OFWs should be treated with respect and viewed as partners in building the economies of their host countries, and not as second-class persons,” she added.
Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito said the court ruling should serve as a “deterrent” for employers who abuse OFWs./PN
