DUE to the deaths of Jenny Alvarado and Dafnie Nacalaban, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) yesterday said it is set to implement tighter rules on the recruitment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Kuwait.
In a televised public briefing, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said they are finalizing the updated guidelines on recruiting OFWs to Kuwait.
“Definitely, what is on tap is tighter deployment measures (to Kuwait),” said Cacdac.
He said one system they will adopt is to make sure the OFWs and their employers know one another before the deployment.
“We are introducing ‘Know Your Employer’ measures or requirements so that even before they get deployed, they know what each other looks like through a video call,” said Cacdac.
He said they will also ensure the potential employer has no criminal record, a clear track record, and has the financial capacity to pay wages stipulated in the contract of employment.
“Our OFWs are of quality so our kasambahays shouldn’t be hired just by anyone. We will look at the qualifications of the employers,” said Cacdac.
He said they will also impose an electronic monitoring system that can provide immediate status updates on the OFWs.
“We will also implement measures like a ‘Kamustahan System’, where we will get updates from the OFWs themselves so that we can monitor them,” said Cacdac.
Alvarado died due to suffocation from burning coal while Nacalaban went missing for two months and was later found dead.
The deaths of the two Kuwait OFWs prompted Senate Committee on Migrant Workers chairman Sen. Raffy Tulfo to push for a deployment ban of Filipino domestic workers to Kuwait.
In response, the DMW said it will be conducting a review of its existing guidelines on deployment to Kuwait.
