President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. reaffirmed the Philippine government’s commitment to safeguarding the welfare of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) during a high-level dialogue with Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on May 27, 2025.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where both leaders discussed key issues surrounding labor and economic cooperation. At the center of their discussion was the ongoing deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait, especially in light of the recent resumption of overseas hiring after a year-long visa ban.
“We pushed for the welfare of our overseas Filipino workers,” President Marcos shared in a Facebook post following the meeting. He added that they tackled “strengthening economic ties and labor cooperation to improve the conditions of our workers.”
The engagement comes as the Philippines and Kuwait continue to implement safeguards for OFWs, particularly domestic workers. Only returning household service workers and skilled professionals are currently allowed deployment, while first-time domestic workers remain under restriction.
Both governments have also established a joint technical working group to monitor labor practices and enforce protective policies, including the whitelisting of employers and the rollout of electronic salary payment systems to ensure transparency.
Since the deployment resumed, around 2,500 OFWs have been deployed to Kuwait under stricter regulations, a clear sign of renewed trust between the two nations.
