Manila: Following Kuwait's suspension of issuing new visas to Filipinos, the Philippine government announced on Wednesday that it was in discussions with the Gulf state to try and resolve recent labour and travel issues.

After the horrific murder of domestic worker Jullebee Ranara in February, which led Manila to halt the deployment of new workers to the Arab country, the Philippines has been working to address issues involving its migrant workers in Kuwait.

This week, a delegation from the Philippines is in Kuwait to talk about shared labour issues and to get more information about the visa suspension Kuwait announced last week.

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Eduardo De Vega, Undersecretary for Migrant Workers at the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, announced that talks would begin again today.

"What we are bringing to the table is a reassurance that we want to resolve outstanding issues for the benefit of our employees and the mutual benefit of both countries," the statement reads.

De Vega stated that the Philippines wants to understand Kuwait's perspective while also outlining its position on the current problems "so that we could lift the suspension" on first-time worker deployment to Kuwait.

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We want to resolve these differences and avoid making them a long-term issue, he continued.

"We don't expect a resolution this week, but there are some encouraging signs that we could keep talking in the future until we are able to close the gap or resolve what they need and what we need from them, like improving the working conditions for our employees," the statement reads.

According to Department of Migrant Workers data, there were more than 24,000 instances of abuse and violation of Filipino workers in Kuwait last year, a sharp increase from the 6,500 cases in 2016.

Ranara's murder in Kuwait in late January, when her burned remains were found there, was not the country's first such incident involving Filipinos.

Following the murder of domestic helper Joanna Daniela Demafelis, whose body was discovered in a freezer at an abandoned flat, the Philippines banned worker deployment to Kuwait in 2018. The following year, both nations signed an agreement providing for worker protection, and the ban was partially lifted.

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Following the murders of Constancia Lago Dayag and Jeanelyn Villavende, who was tortured to death by her employer, the Philippines once more imposed a worker deployment ban in January 2020. After Kuwaiti authorities accused Villavende's employer of murder and gave her a hanging verdict, the embargo was lifted.

According to De Vega, the most recent Philippine ban was implemented "because someone was killed." The integrity of the country is at risk, which is why we took this action.