Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 13) — Newly-hired and returning household workers may now return to Kuwait as the government lifts the remaining ban on them, a Cabinet official said Thursday.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello confirmed this to CNN Philippines in a text message.
The government imposed a total worker deployment ban to Kuwait in January after the release of autopsy results on household helper Jeanelyn Villavenda, who was allegedly killed by her Kuwaiti employers in December. The employers are now facing charges.
The government partially lifted the ban a month later for skilled, semi-skilled workers and professionals after the siginig of a bilteral deal on the standard employment contract for Filipino workers.
The template contract is under a provision of a 2018 labor deal — an agreement to protect Filipino workers in Kuwait. Both sides reached an agreement earlier this month after threshing out certain rules in the provision.
