PH acknowledges Kuwait support for OFWs’ cause: envoy

KUWAIT — Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Villa on Saturday acknowledged the support and cooperation of the Kuwaiti government in addressing the concerns on the welfare of overseas Filipino workers in the Gulf state.

“We thank the Kuwaiti government for the extension of the amnesty program for undocumented foreign nationals, including Filipinos, as a result, we were able to bring home and reunite around 5,000 of our workers in the Philippines,” said Villa in a press conference with Kuwaiti reporters.

After news of the embassy’s Assistance to Nationals operations hogged Kuwaiti news sites, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday issued two diplomatic protests to the embassy, demanding explanation on reported “rescues” it led.

Villa clarified that all efforts to assist OFWs in the past weeks “are undertaken to ensure” that they resolve outstanding issues before the signing of the labor agreement and the visit of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Manila also recognized that all accomplished assistance to nationals in Kuwait would not be possible without the support of the Kuwaiti government.

“I would like to assure that all actions taken by the embassy are all intended to support our collective efforts to find solutions to the problems we have encountered concerning our workers,” he said.

During the press conference, Villa belied a statement attributed to him saying the embassy do not need the help of Kuwaiti authorities in extending assistance to our nationals.

“The embassy always coordinates with the ministry of interior, including the police when responding to requests for assistance from our nationals, this is standard procedure and we will continue to do so,” he said. (Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/PNA)