Philippine President: Ban on sending workers’ to Kuwait permanent hinh anh 1Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. (Photo: EPA)

Hanoi (VNA) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on April 29 that the ban on the dispatch of Filipino workers to Kuwait is "permanent".

The ban stays permanently, the President told media in Davao city, adding that there will be no more recruitment especially domestic helpers.

According to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, about 220,000 Philippine nationals are working in Kuwait, 60 percent of which are domestic helpers.

In February, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a temporary ban on the sending of new workers to Kuwait in the wake of numerous complaints that Philippine workers there are severely abused and maltreated.

The diplomatic row between the Philippines and Kuwait intensified after a footage of a recent rescue of abused Filipino maids by Philippine Embassy staff in Kuwait. The rescue angered the Kuwaiti government, which ordered Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Rene Villa to leave the country and recalled its Ambassador in Manila. - VNA
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