MANILA, Philippines — The total deployment ban of workers to Kuwait, Senator Joel Villanueva said, is the best course of action to prevent more harms to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor and employment committee, supports the total deployment ban because the Kuwaiti government still cannot provide safety and security of our OFWs.

The repeated abuses on our household service workers, he stressed, show the need for a unified contract for them to hold recruiters and employers liable.

“We think it is a reasonable request so we are able to protect our OFWs from any untoward incident while working there,” he said.

Just the same, he said the government should ensure that there will be available jobs for those who will be affected by the total deployment ban to Kuwait and that they will be given assistance, in the meantime.

He said the government would also continue negotiating with the government of Kuwait to come up with a unified contract as provided under the Memorandum of Understanding between PH and Kuwait.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the Philippines do not need to amend the 2018 agreement with Kuwait, which seeks to protect OFWs and domestic workers there. (Stacy Ang/IAMIGO/Currentph.com)