THE Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE-7) has suspended the processing and issuance of Overseas Employment Certificates (OECs) for Kuwait-bound workers, as per the declaration of the total deployment ban of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to the said country.
In a press statement sent to Cebu Daily News, Dole-7 Regional Director Cyril Ticao said the proclamation of Administrative Order No. 54, issued by Dole Secretary Silvestre Bello, is meant to protect the Filipino workers in Kuwait following reports of rampant abuses against them.
“Region 7 is definitely one with the nation’s cry for protection of and justice for the plight of all OFWs not only those based in Kuwait and the Middle East Region but also those working in other parts of the Globe. This ban heightens awareness among OFWs and their families especially those who are inclined to working abroad,” Ticao said in a statement.
He said the order was enforced following the death of Joanna Demafelis, a resident of Sara, Iloilo, who was discovered dead inside a freezer in an apartment in Kuwait.