Photo courtesy of President Bongbong Marcos

In a cordial meeting that took place on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 20, 2023, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. engaged in discussions with Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah with the shared goal of addressing the current labor disputes between the Philippines and Kuwait.

Following this encounter, President Marcos expressed that the Kuwaiti Crown Prince expressed his displeasure with the current state of relations between the two nations during a subsequent media interview in Riyadh. The Crown Prince made it clear that he believed the Philippines did not need to issue an apology, and he, in fact, extended his own apology to President Marcos, highlighting his opposition to Kuwait’s actions.

President Marcos shared the Crown Prince’s words: “Do not listen to them. I do not agree with what they have been doing. There is no reason for you to apologize to us. We will fix it because we love the Philippines. I remember your father; he always supported Kuwait. He always supported us, and we know that you will also always support us. That’s why we will fix this.”

It’s noteworthy that the initiative for this meeting came from the Crown Prince himself. President Marcos expressed optimism that the two nations could work together to resolve the ongoing labor issues. He considered his trip to Saudi Arabia a success, attributing it to the progress made in resolving the disagreement between the Philippines and Kuwait.

The background to this issue is Kuwait’s suspension of entry and work visa issuance to Filipinos due to the Philippines’ alleged non-compliance with the 2018 bilateral labor agreement. In response, the Philippine government imposed a temporary ban on deploying first-time household service workers to Kuwait, following the tragic murder of Jullebee Ranara, whose burnt body was discovered in the desert in January. A previous deployment ban had been implemented in 2018 after the murder of household worker Joan Demafelis.

As of 2022, the estimated Filipino population in Kuwait stands at 279,000, and the remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait amounted to USD 579,186 in 2022 and USD 576,059 in 2021. (AI/MNM)