MIST- ABELLA
1.
. . . all Filipinos suffer maltreatment, also some injustice. . .too much
Q: Do you find that it is more for women working here, versus men working, or is it different?
That’s very difficult. We have been here since 1st July but we cannot work for a
businesses here because it will be difficult for the locals.
Q: Are there a lot of Filipino businesses that have set up in Kuwait to serve Filipinos or Kuwaitis
here?
Not too many. Only Filipinos that have business here is like Madam but she is family to
the, I think, Irani or Kuwaitis. She is here, she has a business.
Q: So none of the Filipino banks, nobody is here doing transfer services or remittances? Nothing
like that?
No, no. For remittances here we can go only to the bank; direct to the bank. Not like
before in Saudi Arabia there is, but probably this bank want only the businessman;
they’re all the same thing from bank to bank.
I’m trying to figure out… so when there was the flooding last year, in the Philippines, how did the
community here organize to help; because I saw there were ads . . .
Yeah, I collected ten boxes of goods then I send to the Philippines but I get a problem because my
salary is not enough to support my kids; so I told this ________ I told him that if you allow me
to send this one in your cargo I will pay this one 14 ____ per month. So I told him. But first, he
told me that he will send this one through shipment. . .by ship. But I told him no, no, no. . . take
too long. I told him how much is the difference by air freight? Then he told me air freight is
around 150 for the ten boxes. For the air cargo it was 180, so I told him can he give me a
discount. He told me ok, I will give you a discount, so he compute it, and he said, ok, I will give
you this one for 150.
But I am lucky also because I have some connection here, only for friend. I always go to the
British diplomat every time that I cannot handle a case here, because I am not an official here, I
am just only to help other people – with the maltreatment, some rape. Like that one.
So I send email to Father Andy Thompson, he was the leader of the St. Paul Anglican Church. I
asked him to assist me, if he can assist me. He is very willing to assist me. He also give me 100.
I am very lucky.
Q: So the MFA, the Filipino Foreign Service is not present in Kuwait? They have consulates in Abu
Dhabi, No? Like the Foreign Service for the Philippines, are there any Filipino diplomats based here?
Yes, we have; here in Kuwait.
But what is the relationship between the workers and them.
(Laughs) That’s very hard because you know just like before we had this Philippine Ambassador
here, we could not mingle with him, that’s why we had no service; that’s why we make some
petition, we make some signs for all Filipinos here to go ahead to picket the foreign place here,
that they will make change.
So now, we are lucky that this guy here now is very good. This is attorney Josephus Jiminez. He
is very good and he is also a very helpful guy. But even how he is very kind and good, if the
government of the Philippines doesn’t also support him, how could he help all the people, how
could he manage to help these (dates) here move forward. They should have written the
Philippines.
But Carmelita Dimzon, from the OWWA, we have 12 billion pesos in the OWWA fund, but we
have a problem, a severe problem for this one. This Aristondo, he has been in jail for 14 years and
we are also publishing (names of) some other people from the Philippines – 1 million pesos only
for release.
But as of now, nothing; nothing can happen
So what is the process for people coming from the Philippines to the Gulf. Is it that people recruit in the
Philppines? Is it from Manila
Manila, from all over the Philippines; Cebu, Davao, all over but the main is in Manila centre.
So there are not more Muslim Filipinos coming to the Gulf that Christians?
Christian is more than Muslim. Muslim only in Mindanao. And mostly also the older Christians
most of the (dates) are Christians who have graduated from school. They are diploma graduates
but they are working here as (dates).
So its people with a lot of skills but when they come here they are working in those kind of jobs?
In the Philippines they are recruiting. They have agencies. But these agencies in the Philippines
they also send the (dates) to other agencies here; and that is illegal, right? It is the same like
human trafficking, right?
Suppose if you have an employer, suppose the employer goes to the Philippines to hire. Not the
agencies here in Kuwait. They will give some other agency the job of hiring and when the (dates),
they will come here in Kuwait, then after they will book a standby, they will settle here and they
would find another employer. . .