Kuwait

A wake-up call

January 29, 2023 People's Tonight 295 views

THE murder of another Filipina domestic helper in Kuwait has drawn the ire of various sectors of Philippine society, including families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) here.

It is certainly saddening and disturbing that some of our OFWs, particularly female household workers, are battered, abused and even killed while working abroad.

And to think that these migrant workers are considered “modern-day heroes” in this impoverished but natural resources-rich Southeast Asian nation of English-speaking people.

Of course, nobody can blame some of our well-meaning public servants for calling on the government to ban the deployment of OFWs fo Kuwait following the death of Jubellee Ranara.

Reports said that the 35-year-old Ranara was reportedly pregnant and raped. She was found dead in the desert on January 22, with severe injuries, and her cadaver was burned.

The police identified the suspect as the 17-year-old son of Ranara’s employers.

Secretary Susan Ople of the Department of Migrant Workers has dispatched a team to Kuwait to look into the killing of Ranara, whose remains arrived in the country January 27.

Ople said the findings of the team may lead to the adoption of policy reforms in Manila’s labor agreement with Kuwait.

Admittedly, we need to come up with more effective measures aimed at protecting our OFWs whose dollar remittan6ces continue to help prop up the Philippine economy.

Sana maging wake-up call sa ating lahat ang nangyari sa Kuwait. Kung hindi ay baka marami pa nating “makabagong bayani” ang susunod kay Jubellee Ranara.

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