5 September 2010 - The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs the expedited repatriation and arrival of 97 Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) early tomorrow morning at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Most of these Filipinos left their employers for a variety of reasons and sought refuge at the Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC). They were sheltered at the center between three to eight months. The FWRC is operated by the Department of Labor and Employment-Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
Through representations by the Embassy and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, Kuwaiti immigration authorities waived the usual exit/repatriation requirements, said Philippine Ambassador Shulan Primavera.Kuwaiti authorities also shouldered the repatriates' plane fares.
The arrangement was made possible with the kind cooperation of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and the Ministry of Interior-Department of Immigration.
The usual deportation procedure is for those housed at the FWRC to first be surrendered to the local police. The police then summon their employers, who will be required to hand over the worker's passport, have the workers' visa be cancelled and to submit their plane tickets.
"Our OFWs were spared from being placed at the deportation center where they could have stayed for more than three months. It can even be longer if the sponsor refuses to cooperate with the police," Ambassador Primavera said.