MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government is hoping for more pragmatic measures before lifting the deployment ban to the Gulf state.
"As we move forward in the negotiations, we hope to incorporate more practical measures that would better protect our kababayans working there from exploitation and abuse," Cayetano said.
The Philippines' negotiating panel has secured a commitment from Kuwait that would guarantee a minimum monthly salary of KD120 for Filipino workers.
The negotiating panel, led by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Villa, were able to convince their counterparts to agree with the conditions of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The Kuwaiti government also agreed to allow Filipino workers to have at least eight hours of rest per day, possession of passports and mobile phones and limited their work to only one household.
"Our negotiations with Kuwait have so far been going well but we need to put in place more practical measures that would ensure the safety and welfare of our kababayans working there," Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said.
Cayetano suggested that the payment of salaries be directed to the bank account of Filipino workers if feasible to ensure that they would not get shortchanged and that they would receive the salary they agreed to.
The Philippines' top diplomat would also like to see an agreement that would pave for a mechanism where Filipinos can file their complaints directly to Kuwaiti authorities.
There were instances where employers preempted cases against them by filing false charges against Filipino employees, he said.
"We really must work with Kuwait to make sure we come up with an implementable agreement that would contain guarantees for the protection of our workers," Cayetano said.
The DFA and the DOLE will meet to further discuss issues and reforms to be included in a new labor agreement with Kuwait.
Duterte had ordered the total ban on the deployment of workers to Kuwait following reports of abuse against Filipino workers in the Middle Eastern country.