THE government is now eyeing a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to better protect overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Malacañang said the proposed accord will be based on the new Labor Reform Initiative (LRI) being implemented by the Saudi government.
Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs Robert E. A. Borje lauded the LRI for making the KSA a more migrant-friendly destination.
“It is a significant step towards addressing issues with the existing sponsorship system in the Mideast country,” Borje said in a statement on Monday.
Currently, the sponsorship or “kafala” system continues to fuel abuse of migrant workers in KSA by giving employers unreasonable control over their movement and employment.
President Duterte earlier announced he wants the scheme to be abolished.
He deployed Borje to KSA to help facilitate such reform in the Arab state through the LRI.
“Saudi Arabia’s LRI is commendable, and President Duterte hopes for Filipino household workers’ inclusion in the reform initiative,” Borje said.
Aside from pushing to scuttle the kafala scheme, he said they are also pushing “the use of technology to improve access to labor sector services, protection of wages, and automation of recruitment processes.”
He met with Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) Minister Ahmad Sulaiman Al Rajhi to discuss the possibility of convening a technical working group to iron out the details of the proposed MOU.
Image courtesy of DFA