Villanueva lauds PH-Kuwait efforts for MOU to protect OFWs

Senator Joel Villanueva has commended the Philippine and Kuwaiti governments after finalizing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which he said will “ensure the protection and better labor conditions” of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Gulf state.

“We also hope that with this MOU, cases of abuses against our overseas workers will be prevented and resolved in a swift and just manner,” Villanueva said in a statement on Thursday.

The two governments are reportedly set to sign the MOU within this week.  The MOU stemmed from the decision of the Philippine government to ban workers’ deployment to Kuwait following numerous reports of abuses and even deaths.

The signing also comes after PH-Kuwait relations were strained due to a controversial rescue video involving Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Villa.

READ: Kuwait gives PH envoy one week to leave amid dispute

For Villanueva, the MOU is a step in the right direction in terms of mending the discord.

“We hope this landmark development marks the start of a better era for our kababayans and diplomatic relations with Kuwait,” the senator said.              /kga