DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Two hundred overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Kuwait arrived Tuesday night at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport via Qatar Airways fligh QR 934.
They are part of the over 4,000 undocumented OFW’s from Kuwait who availed the amnesty program offered by the Kuwaiti government.
They arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on board Qatar Airways flight QR 934.
The Department of Foreign Affairs expected more than 10,000 OFW’s to avail of the amnesty program and reptration pacakge but when only about 6,000 availed the program which ended last April 12, 2018.
The repatriation program, was ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte in February ordered the ban in the deployment of OFWEs to Kuwait following the death of OFW Joanna Demafeliz who was reportedly killed by her employer and was found inside a freezer last February 8.
Her employers, the primary suspects, were sentenced to death by Kuwaiti authorities just recently.
Duterte had also requested two local carriers, the Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific (CEB), to help in the government’s repatriation efforts.
PAL and CEB have heeded this request by mounting free special flights for the OFWs in Kuwait.
The deployment ban was imposed due to reports of maltreatment and abuse that the OFWs there were experiencing.
Duterte also ordered the repatriation of all OFWs who wish to go home for good.
Most of the repatriated OFWs from UAE were victims of illegal recruiters. Some of them opted to leave due to maltreatment, poor working conditions, detention, and non-payment of salaries.
The government provide local transport allowance and cash assistance to the returning OFW.-Editha Z. Caduaya/Newsline.Ph
