Jabri: State values Filipinos; special envoy named

KUWAIT: Information Minister Mohammed Al-Jabri meets former Philippine minister of information Francisco Tatad yesterday. - KUNA

KUWAIT: Philippines Minister of Labor and Employment Silvestre Bello will be in Kuwait today for talks with senior officials to discuss means of solving Filipino workers' problems and a relevant workforce agreement, the deputy foreign minister said yesterday. "The standoff with the Philippines is heading to a breakthrough," Khaled Al-Jarallah told reporters on sidelines of a reception by the Italian Embassy to mark the European country's national day.

Asked if a new Filipino ambassador to Kuwait has been nominated, Jarallah said the foreign ministry is awaiting such a nomination. Kuwait declared the Philippines ambassador persona non grata after acts committed by Filipino nationals in violation of Kuwait's sovereignty were deemed as interference in its internal affairs and even as violating relevant international agreements and treaties, especially Article 41 of Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Earlier yesterday, Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Mohammed Al-Jabri said Filipinos form the third largest community in Kuwait and are very well cared for by the state. He made the remark yesterday after a meeting with visiting former Philippine minister of information Francisco Tatad and an accompanying delegation. According to a statement by the Kuwaiti information ministry, Jabri recalled during the meeting the initial stance by Philippines in the aftermath of the 1990 Iraqi brutal invasion of Kuwait. He highly appreciated Philippines' support of just causes.

Jabri noted that it is integral to the ministry's policy to build bridges of communication between the relevant state bodies and expats in Kuwait. This is obvious in the allocation of hours for Tagalog programs on Radio Kuwait. In a separate meeting, Jabri and the Japanese Ambassador to Kuwait Takashi Ashiki discussed today means of boosting bilateral media, cultural and youth cooperation. They reviewed historical ties between Kuwait and Japan, generously cared for by leadership of both countries.

Separately, Manila yesterday announced that President Rodrigo Duterte has designated Secretary Abdullah Mama-o as special envoy to Kuwait. Roque said Mama-o, an incumbent presidential adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) concerns, has been tasked to repatriate all 800 Filipinos who ran away from their employers.

He said three Filipino diplomats are under "restrictive movement" while four Filipino drivers were arrested by Kuwaiti authorities in the aftermath of the rescue operations of OFWs allegedly being abused by their employers. "So the mandate of Secretary Mama-o is to bring everyone home and possibly to normalize ties with Kuwait," Roque told a press briefing.

With Mama-o designation as special envoy, Roque said government is hoping the labor memorandum of understanding (MOU) will also be finally signed between the Philippines and Kuwait. "The MoU is also part of what we want to achieve because the MoU will completely normalize our ties," he said.

Roque said Duterte is confident that Mama-o will be able to accomplish his special mission in the Gulf state. "I think the president noted that Secretary Mama-o, being a Muslim, has been effective in dealing with Kuwaiti authorities. So, it's like he is allowing a Muslim do the negotiations for the time being with the Kuwaiti authorities," Roque said.

Meanwhile, private recruitment agencies urged the Philippine government to allow the sending of Filipino household service workers (HSWs) to the United Arab Emirates. Dolly Uanang of the Philippine Manpower Agencies for the United Arab Emirates (PAMA-UAE) believes that the Arab country is a good alternative market. She noted that the working conditions in UAE and Kuwait are the same, making it more suitable for Filipino workers. - Agencies