No one died when I was the Kuwait labor attaché

Perhaps I was just too lucky or I had a very supportive ambassador helping me all the way, and a team of competent, committed and conscientious staff working very hard under my leadership. Maybe we did the right things, we established strong linkages with the Kuwait government, with the Filipino communities and we worked even on Sundays and holidays. The problems involving OFWs happened seven days a week, 24-hours each day, and no holidays and vacations for us in the Philippine Embassy and the POLOs ( Phillippine Overseas Labor Offices). There were always OFWs knocking at the door and we attend to them immediately. There were sick in the hospitals to be visited, and arrested OFWs needing legal assistance.

When there were no problems, we were doing some pro-active and developmental projects. We conducted PAOS (Post-Arrival Orientation Seminars ) giving the newly-arrived OFWs orientation to the Kuwait culture, warning them on things they should never do, and giving tips on what to do when problems crop up. We also gave Leadership Developmental Programs for leaders of communities (based on geographical affiliations), like Mindanaoans, Cebuanos, Ilonggos, Waray Warays, Bicolanos, Kapampangans, Ilocanos, and Tagalogs. There were church-based organizations—charismatics, Iglesia Ni Kristo, Adventists, JIL, El Shaddai, and the Muslims—professional groups of engineers, nurses, accountants, and seafarers, as well as sports and cultural associations. I had very mutually-enriching interactions with them, and they helped me a lot in protecting the most vulnerable OFWs, the domestic helpers.

I befriended many Kuwaiti officials, and I organized all labor attaches from both labor-sending and labor-receiving countries—exchanged information, helped each other in protecting the workers, and stood together on migration issues and workers’ rights. I let volunteer guidance counselors to enter the Embassy and serve the OFWs, encouraged spiritual activities, and accepted volunteers to give counseling to the distressed run-away OFWs. At any given time, I had more than 300 to 600 in the safe house maintained by our office, under the guidance of the ambassador and other consular officials.

Despite all problems we had to face, no one died under my watch, no one was accused of murder, nor sentenced to be beheaded. No one committed suicide and no one was raped and killed. I am very sad that today, these incidents seem to be the rule rather than the exception. The series of deaths and reports of maltreatment had prompted the president to order a total ban against deployment to Kuwait. Many of the victims’ families are alleging that no one helped them, not the POEA, not the OWWA, not even the offices in the Embassy and POLO—serious allegations that DOLE and DFA should look into. In deploying labor attaches and welfare officers, we must send the most committed, conscientious, and hard-working people in government . When you work in Kuwait, you are not supposed to rest, but be ready always even at the wee hours of the night to run to the desert and rescue Filipinas in distress.

 Kuwait is really sui generis (one of a kind); we should send our best public servants and support them adequately and well.