KUWAIT CITY, Feb 11: Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of the Philippines Jose Cabrera III on Thursday discussed the decision of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) in the Philippines to suspend the deployment of first time Filipino household workers to Kuwait with Assistant Foreign Minister for Asia Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Sameeh Essa Johar Hayat.

This came after DMW issued Advisory Number Five on the suspension of the recruitment of household workers from the Philippines on Wednesday. Hayat expressed disappointment over the decision, while affirming that the Kuwaiti government is keen on resolving the issue immediately.

Meanwhile, Cabrera explained that the decision covers only the Filipino domestic workers who will be deployed to Kuwait for the first time. He confirmed that DMW is currently studying reforms and measures to strengthen mechanisms to protect the welfare of domestic workers and ensure their safety, particularly those working in Kuwait for the first time.

Cabrera and Hayat also talked about the schedule for the Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) stipulated in the 2018 agreement on the recruitment of domestic workers. They agreed on the need to fortify friendly relations between the Philippines and Kuwait by strengthening cooperation and commitment to solve issues promptly and amicably in order to achieve results that satisfy all concerned parties. By Marlon Aquino Malinao Arab Times Staff