MANILA — The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Migrant and Itinerant People (CBCP-ECMI) lauded the speedy action of the Kuwaiti government against the employers of slain overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Joanna Demafelis.
CBCP-ECMI chairman Bishop Ruperto Santos said the recent development on the case shows the sincerity of the Arab state to give justice to Demafelis.
“It is most welcoming and encouraging news. We see here the seriousness and sincerity of Kuwait to give justice to Joana, and protection to wellbeing of our OFWs there,” he said.
The Bataan prelate noted that such action is also evident on the final draft of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Philippines and Kuwaiti government which aims to protect Filipino workers in the Gulf state.
At the same time, Santos added, “We at CBCP ECMI, will support for the partial lifting of deployment ban of our OFWs there.”
With the recent development on Demafelis case, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III, earlier said the partial lifting of the deployment ban, which will cover skilled workers, needs further study.
On Sunday, a Kuwait court sentenced Nader Essam Assaf, a Lebanese and his wife, Mona, a Syrian to death by hanging over the death of the 29-year-old Filipina, who was found inside a freezer in an abandoned apartment in Kuwait on February 6. (PNA)
