MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Wednesday said he added some “mandatory provisions” that will be included in the final draft of the agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait that will protect overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Gulf state.
During the 39th commencement exercises of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) in Cavite, Duterte apologized for arriving late, saying he had to work on the final draft that Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III will bring to Kuwait.
“I demanded that it will be a contract of government to government and that there will be some mandatory provisions like they should be allowed to sleep at least seven hours a day,” Duterte said, drawing applause from audience.
The President said OFWs should also be given nutritious foods by their employers.
“We will not allow leftovers to be eaten by our countrymen. They should be allowed to cook their own food,” he said.
Duterte also demanded that employers should be banned from confiscating the passports of Filipino workers.
“And fifth is that they should be allowed holidays and everything,” the President said.
Despite the big number of Filipinos opting to work abroad as domestic workers, Duterte said Filipinos are not slaves.
Last month, the Chief Executive ordered the ban on the deployment of Filipino workers in Kuwait following the murder of Joana Demafelis whose body was found in a freezer.
More than 250,000 Filipinos are working in Kuwait, where many of them work as domestic helpers. (Jelly Musico/PNA)
