Hontiveros on Kuwait maid rescues: ‘Foreign policy is not a social media blitz’

While calling the expulsion of Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Villa “unfortunate” and “shameful,” Senator Risa Hontiveros also scored Embassy officials in Kuwait for exploiting the rescue of abused Filipino housemaids.

“The expulsion of the Philippine ambassador to Kuwait is both unfortunate and shameful. It exposes our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to greater risk and reveals the Duterte government’s haphazard and amateurish approach to foreign policy,” Hontiveros said in a statement issued on Thursday.

“May I remind the Duterte government that foreign policy is not simply a social media blitz. It is the careful and diplomatic promotion and safeguarding of a nation’s interests while recognizing multilateral and bilateral relations with other countries,” Hontiveros added.

Hontiveros also said that even if the mission to rescue the maids was done with good intentions, it does not justify the violation of Kuwait’s sovereignty.

“There is a way of rescuing our OFWs without violating the sovereignty of another country,” the opposition lawmaker said.

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Hontiveros also called on the Department of Foreign Affairs to take steps needed to repair the damaged relations between the Philippines and Kuwait.

“I also call on them to implement measures to ensure the safety and well-being of the thousands of Filipinos working in Kuwait, and to make sure that their harmonious relationship with the Kuwaiti people is not strained by incident. The government must seriously address this issue instead of brushing this aside as a simple case of misunderstanding,” Hontiveros said.   /muf