MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said that Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah apologized to him over labor issues when they met at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Gulf Cooperation Council (Asean-GCC) Summit.
The Presidential Communications Office also said that during an interview, the President, after meeting the Crown Prince, expressed optimism that the Philippines and Kuwait would be able to resolve the issue.
According to the President, the Kuwaiti monarch told him that he was displeased with the current situation between the two countries and that the Philippines did not need to apologize for it.
“The words that he used, ‘Do not listen to them. I do not agree with what they have been doing.’ And, in fact, he said, ‘I do not want…There is no reason for you to apologize to us,’” Marcos told reporters, referring to the monarch who said he disagrees with what his people do.
Marcos further said that the crown prince told him that they would fix the problem as they love the Philippines. The President also noted that it was the monarch who initiated the conversation.
Earlier this year, following the death of domestic helper Jullebee Ranara in Kuwait, the Philippines temporarily banned the deployment of first-time household service workers in Kuwait.
Kuwait also suspended the issuance of entry and work visas to Filipinos due to the Philippines’ supposed non-compliance with the labor agreement between the two countries.
The Palace likewise recalled that in 2018, the then administration imposed a temporary deployment ban following the murder of household worker Joan Demafelis in Kuwait.
Meanwhile, Marcos said the resolution of the country’s disagreement with Kuwait was one of the successes of his attendance at the Asean-GCC summit.
The communications office said that according to the President, just for that – solving the tension with Kuwait – his travel was already worth it.
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