PAGADIAN CITY – The Philippines has suspended the deployment of “first-time” or newly-hired domestic workers bound for Kuwait following the rape and murder of a 35-year old Filipina maid, Jullebee Ranara last month.
This was confirmed by Migrant Workers Undersecretary Maria Anthonette Allones, according to Sen. Raffy Tulfo, chairman of the Committee on Migrant Workers.
Tulfo also called for an immediate deployment ban of Filipino workers bound for Kuwait, citing Ranara’s killing by her employer’s 17-year old son, who is now in jail.
Tulfo, who presided over the public inquiry on the Jullebee case, said it is time that the Philippines should take a firm stand against violators of bilateral agreements.
“We can enter into bilateral agreements but our terms should be clear and unequivocal. If there are violators to such agreements, we have to prioritize the welfare of our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and act at the soonest possible time. Make these violators accountable and liable without concession and pursuant to our laws and international conventions,” he said.
Tulfo said they had received complaints and calls for assistance from other OFWs in Kuwait.
“We have almost
two million OFWs all over the world and about 100,000 to 120,000 migrant
workers are still working in Kuwait. Let us not wait until one or more of them
would come home wounded, beaten black and blue or a corpse like what happened
to Jullebee,” he said. (Voltaire F. Domingo)
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