Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac met with Qatar’s Minister of Labour, His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Saeed bin Samikh Al Marri, on September 10, 2025, to push forward stronger bilateral cooperation on labor reforms—particularly measures safeguarding Filipino domestic workers in the Gulf state.
Cacdac expressed gratitude to Qatar for hosting more than 230,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and underscored the Philippines’ adoption of the Enhanced Reform Program for Filipino Domestic Workers. The program emphasizes decent work, ethical recruitment, and improved support systems for household service workers deployed abroad.
Among the reforms presented were: a minimum wage hike from USD 400 to at least USD 500, mandatory “Know Your Employer” protocols, a digital welfare monitoring system, yearly medical check-ups, stricter ethical recruitment standards under a whitelisting policy, and expanded support services.
Minister Al Marri, for his part, assured that Qatar is ready to work with the Philippines in protecting the dignity and rights of Filipino domestic workers. He added that specific agenda items will be studied further at the Technical Committee level.
In the same meeting, Chief Executive Kholoud Saif Al-Kubaisi of Qatar’s Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund pledged closer cooperation with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on insurance claims and entitlements. She also raised plans for joint activities such as awareness campaigns, reintegration projects, entrepreneurship training, and emergency assistance mechanisms for OFWs.
Cacdac was joined in the ministerial visit by Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Mardomel Celo D. Melicor, Undersecretary Jainal T. Rasul Jr., Vice Consul General Jeffrey Batac, Assistant Secretary Julyn S. Ambito-Fermin, Director Maria Bernadine H. Madamba, Labor Attaché Eduard C. Ferrer of MWO-Qatar, and Chief Cleobelle M. Romero of the International Cooperation and Labor Market Monitoring Division.
