Manila to join inquiry into Filipino maids death in Kuwait

MANILA: Kuwait will allow the Philippines to join an investigation into the death of a Filipino maid allegedly killed by her employer last December.

Details of the decision were announced by Kuwait’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Khaled Al-Jarallah, in a meeting with Philippines presidential adviser Abdullah Mama-o and envoy Noordin Lomondot last week.

The officials also discussed the Philippines’ decision to stop its citizens working in Kuwait until an inquiry into the death of Jeanelyn Villavende has been completed and Kuwait honors a labor agreement signed by the two countries in 2018.

Mama-o praised the Kuwaiti government for its handling of the Villavende case, including the arrest of her employers.

Kuwaiti authorities have not released the names of her employers who have been jailed since the incident. Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry is expected to release details of a police investigation and autopsy reports soon.

The Philippines and Kuwait also agreed to hold a joint meeting on a 2018 agreement on the employment of domestic workers.

Assistant Secretary Eduardo Me?ez, a Department of Foreign Affairs official, told Arab News that Kuwait had “voiced its dismay over the Philippine government’s decision to impose a ban on the deployment of workers (to their country).”

Kuwaiti Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs Samie Al-Hamad said that the “appalling crime” is uncommon and “against our Islamic values.

“The legal action taken against the culprits reflects Kuwait’s keenness to apply the law, and guarantee the safety and protection of all those living on its soil,” Al-Hamad said.

Kuwait is a “favorable destination” for people of different nationalities, including 250,000 Filipino workers, he added.