The Philippine government has suspended the accreditation of foreign recruitment agencies (FRAs) in Kuwait following the brutal killing of Filipina domestic helper Jullebee Ranara, until new regulations are put in place to send workers, according to the Philippine newspaper Phil Star.
A spokesperson for the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Toby Nebreda confirmed work on implementing the new regulations of the International Federation of Migrant Workers’ rules, reports Al-Qabas daily.
The newspaper added that Catherine Doladol, who is responsible for the office of migrant workers in Kuwait, announced work on setting new regulations for the accreditation process, job applications and employment contracts by the Philippine Financial Supervisory Authority, as of January 29, 2023.
“Only foreign staffing agencies with a clean record or those without a nursing home resident, and those without an application for assistance, are allowed to submit applications for processing,” she added.
She said, “The application for new, double, and replacement accreditation has been suspended until the current accredited foreign recruitment agencies review it.
And she continued, “The applications for additional work applications will also be limited to 50 applications, based on the online migrant worker management system.”
And she added, “Foreign recruitment agencies are also required to obtain clearance from the Office of Migrant Workers Administration before submitting and processing additional work applications, and foreign employment agencies will also be required to submit a monthly monitoring report on their employment.”
The head of the Department of Foreign Workers’ Welfare, Arnel Ignacio, noted that differences in Philippine culture and those in Middle Eastern countries have become common causes of conflict, which sometimes leads to problems.
Ignacio saw an average of 20 Filipino workers in Kuwait seeking refuge in the government-run shelter in Kuwait, but refused to classify it as a large number.
He stated that the Kuwaiti government is already preparing a larger shelter to accommodate all distressed OFWs seeking help.
Meanwhile, Manila Jeslani, an employment consultant in Manila, expressed her strong opposition to calls to ban the deployment of Filipino domestic workers in Kuwait, noting that the deployment ban may cause more harm to Filipino workers as it may encourage them to leave the country illegally.
And she believed that instead of imposing a ban on the spread, we urge the government to assess the current situation and limit the number of those who are sent to the Middle Eastern country, and we demand measures to protect workers.
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