President Rodrigo Duterte said he wanted to visit Kuwait to thank the government there for granting measures regarding the well-being of Filipino workers in the Gulf state.
Speaking at the oath-taking ceremony of newly-elected barangay captains in Pampanga Tuesday, the President said, "I am going to travel to Kuwait to thank them kasi [because] they practically gave in to my demands."
Duterte said his demands were to give workers one day off a week, no confiscation of passports and cellphones by employers, no body contact, and for workers to be allowed to cook their own food.
"I got all that I wanted," Duterte said.
He added that he was quite harsh during the early part of discussions with the Gulf state, but said, "pinalagpas lang nila yung mga mura ko [they let my cursing pass]."
The President did not mention, however, when the visit would take place.
The President made the same announcement during a meting with the Filipino community during an official visit to South Korea.
A deal between the Philippines and Kuwait regarding OFWs signed in May.
It includes placing a system where local Kuwaiti authorities regularly inspect or monitor the situation of domestic Filipino workers.
The agreement named Kuwait's Department of Domestic Labor as the unit to settle disputes between the employers and Filipino domestic workers.
Kuwait will also provide legal assistance to workers and will not charge them for judicial fees at all levels of proceedings.
Tag: World , Philippines